Empty Garden
by quiet-heart
Summary: Are ghosts real? Horatio and Frank say 'no' but Nina Johnson is about to change their mind, especially when an old cross winds up at the lab and things start going bump in the night..... Warning: be advised some chapters may contain coarse language.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** _Hey all: been a while since I last did any writing as life sort of caught up to me. I had a beautiful baby boy in early November and this is the first time I've really had a chance to sit down and get any writing done. Let me know what you think and thanks for reading._

**Chapter 1**

In the DNA lab, CSI Ryan Wolfe studied the small gold cross in the sealed evidence bag. It was a nice-looking piece, and probably as old as hell, if he was hearing right. The cross was decorated with hammered gold and small, polished emeralds at the points and in the centre. According to CSI Eric Delko, who had some experience in ancient gold jewelry, the cross looked like it could have come from the Colonial Spain era, when Miami was getting settled by the Spaniards. A piece like that should have been in a museum, being studied and evaluated by a historian, rather than sealed in an evidence bag at the Miami-Dade Crime Lab. Unfortunately, despite all it's beauty, there was one big thing wrong with it, it was covered in blood. Hence the evidence bag.

The cross had come off of a small, but local, drug dealer who'd been found dead in a back alley. No one on the streets was naming names but word was a rival drug-dealing gang had decided to remove the 'competition' permanently. Who the killer was, MDPD didn't know at this point, and finding out was going to prove to be a bit difficult, as usual, since gangs tended to take care of their own with little regard to the law or innocents caught in the cross-fire.

As far as Ryan knew, the victim had been a father with two sons, neither one of which had been seen since the victim had been discovered. Ryan had seen the mother and the look on her face had been one of emptiness, a woman who had pretty much given up. He felt bad for her, especially knowing she was going to have her hands full trying to raise two boys, both of whom were a handful to begin with, if he'd heard right.

One question the mother hadn't been able to answer was how the victim had gotten ahold of such a valuable piece of jewelry in the first place. Her answer had been simple and straightforward.

"_With him, who the hell knows?_" she'd said.

Indeed, who the hell knew? Only the victim, and last time Ryan checked, he didn't know anyone who communicate with the dead on a one-on-one basis, and if the victim's boys knew, well, they weren't talking.

"It's a beautiful piece," DNA technician Maxine Valera commented, also looking at the cross. "Probably worth a fortune." She would be testing the blood on the cross to determine whose blood it was.

"Too bad the victim didn't realize that; he could've sold it and gotten out of the drug business," Ryan said. "A piece like this, it belongs in a museum, not in the lab."

"Any rush on it?" she asked.

"Nah, the guy's not going anywhere and the blood's probably his," he replied. He handed the cross to Valera, nodded once, and left to attend to other matters.

Valera put the cross to one side, where she would get to it as soon as she took care of the dozens of other requests on her table. But first she had to take care of a minor personal problem. As she left the lab, a cold breeze suddenly blew around her, causing her to shiver involuntarily and rustling papers in its wake.

"Air conditioner must be on the brink again," she muttered, rubbing her arms as she continued on her way.

In the silence of the lab, a cold breeze blew again, gentler than the first but still just as cold. And at that very moment, amid the pile of DNA testing requests and sealed evidence bags, something glowed brightly, giving off a sickly greenish light, before fading away just as quickly as it had begun.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Lt. Horatio Caine smiled at Medical Examiner Dr. Alexx Woods as he entered the elevator and glanced at the elevator panel, noting she was heading for the same floor as he was. He also noted she had her purse and sunglasses with her.

"Heading out?" he asked his old friend.

"That I am, sugar. You remember, my next door neighbour, Nina Johnson?" Alexx asked, smiling back.

"The Theatre Arts teacher who scared everyone when her kitchen water-line suddenly exploded in her face while she was trying to install a new faucet, causing her to scream?" Horatio asked, recalling a pretty woman with short honey-brown hair and sparkling green eyes.

"The very same," Alexx said, grinning as she recalled the incident that had introduced her to her new neighbour, Nina.

They had been having a surprise birthday party for Calleigh Duquesne, a Crime Scene Investigator ballistics expert for the Miami-Dade crime lab and a long-time friend, at Alexx's house, when a scream had rent the air. Horatio, and Calleigh had gone running to the source of the scream, along with fellow CSIs Eric Delko and Ryan Wolfe. The screaming had continued but was quickly followed by a series of colourful curses, leading them to the kitchen, where they found a soaking-wet woman in denim shorts and tee, fighting with a tap spraying ice-cold water and two French Bulldogs barking wildly, with a large silver cat looking on in disgust from her perch at the top of the second-floor stairs. Ryan and Eric had quickly gone to the basement and located the shut-off valve to the water and shut off the water.

Once the water had been shut off, introductions and apologies were made, Nina had been invited over, which she had done once she'd had a chance to dry off and clean up her kitchen. She had sworn up and down she'd shut off the water but figured she hadn't turned it off completely. Alexx's kids had been introduced to Nina's dogs; a chocolate-colored male named Taz, and his sister, a black and white female named Pepé . When asked, Nina admitted that, yes, her dogs were named after the Looney Toons characters, Tazmanian Devil and Pepé Le Pew, indicating the college teacher had a sense of humour. Her cat, whom she admitted ruled the house with an iron paw, was called Mercury but Nina admitted that Mercury had been called something much ruder on more than one occasion.

"Nina's offering to buy me lunch in exchange for my company. Seems she's a bit sick of doing papers wanted a change of pace," Alexx explained.

"Sounds like fun," Horatio said as the elevator stopped and they exited and headed for the main entrance. They spotted Nina outside, pacing. Horatio thought she looked a bit aggravated about something and was glaring at the crime lab with a great deal of apprehension.

"Nina, are you okay?" Alexx asked, concerned, having noticed what Horatio noticed.

"Hmmm?" Nina said, clearly distracted by something. Then she snapped out of it and gave a wide, fake smile. "Oh, I'm fine, fine. Sorry about that, lost in my own world," she said brightly.

Horatio and Alexx looked at each other. Nina was babbling. Something was bothering her but they wouldn't push, for now.

"Do you remember Horatio Caine?" Alexx asked, smiling.

"I sure do. Not too many girls like me forget a guy with red hair coming to my supposed rescue when he hears me screaming because my tap decided to cut loose," Nina said, smiling. "Nice to see you again on better terms."

"Likewise," Horatio said, also smiling. "If you will excuse me, Alexx, Nina, I'm afraid I have some matters I must attend to. Enjoy your lunch." And with one last smile, Horatio walked away towards his vehicle, a large silver Hummer parked nearby.

Alexx grinned as she watched Nina's eyes follow Horatio. "He is available, you know," she said teasingly.

"He may be available but he isn't free of his past and until he lets go, he will never really be available," Nina said absently.

"How do you know about his past?" Alexx asked, puzzled by the remark.

Nina shrugged. "I can see it in his eyes. You don't teach as long as I have without being able to read body language."

"Nina, Horatio's eyes were covered," Alexx pointed out. Nina just smiled at her. Alexx knew the woman well enough to know that she wasn't going to elaborate on the subject. Nina would tell her what she knew when she was good and ready.

"Lunch is waiting, my friend. Shall we?" Nina asked.

"We shall."

Nina had driven to the lab in her red 1971 Cadillac Eldorado Convertible with the roof down. Alexx loved the car for its roomy feel and classic looks and, on a beautiful day like today it was wonderful to feel the breeze blowing through her hair. As Nina drove, she asked Alexx a question.

"Alexx, how do you report someone missing when no one believes you that someone is missing?"

"How do you know someone is missing, sugar?"

"I have my suspicions. A student of mine, Johnny, hasn't shown up for class for several days and he was a damn good student," Nina explained. "I tried calling his home two days ago but his roommate answered and said Johnny had gone to visit his parents in Naples. Called his parents, said Johnny had gone to visit his grandparents in Immokalee. Got one word for you; _bullshit._"

"Why do you say that?"

"Because Johnny once told me his grandparents were dead, on both sides of his family."

"Why would his parents lie?"

"That's what I want to know. Something's not right, Alexx, but I can't get anyone to believe me."

"Is Johnny the kind of student to just up and leave like that?"

"Nope. He's a good student and had a lot of promise. Last time I spoke to him, he was working on a play he wanted me to have a look at. Said he was going to swing by my office after class and show me since the play was a bit controversial; his words."

"He never showed?" Alexx guessed.

"He never showed," Nina confirmed. "I waited two days and then I started making phone calls. Tried to file a Missing Person report but I can't get the damn cops to believe me. They think he's just another drop-out who decided he'd had enough of being good."

"Why would they think that?"

"Because his family are known gang-bangers and at least two members are currently in prison for one thing or another," Nina explained sourly.

"And the cops think Johnny simply decided to get into the family business."

"Yup."

"But you think otherwise."

"Yup."

"Where do you think Johnny is?"

"I don't know but I've got a bad feeling that says Johnny's dead." Nina looked at Alexx and somehow, just somehow, Alexx knew that Nina just _knew_ her student was no longer of this earth. She nodded.

"I'll talk to Horatio, see what I can do, okay?" she said.

"Thanks, Alexx; I appreciate this."

"Anything for a friend."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **had to do some minor 'repairs' on this chapter as I use Word Processor on my computer and have to save under html to be able upload here. Some corrections I'd made previously were not saved on this one as I'd originally thought. Sorry about that! Thanks for the kind reviews and I assure you, more is coming.**  
**

**Chapter 3**

Horatio walked into the ballistics lab to find blonde-haired Calleigh Duquesne muttering ferociously under her breath as she hunted frantically for something under a table.

"Problem, Calleigh?" he asked, curious.

Calleigh straightened up with a huff, flipping her pony-tail out of her face. "I seemed to have misplaced my favourite pen. I could have sworn I put it down in one spot no more than a minute ago," she explained.

"Do you have other pens?" he asked, trying not to smile in amusement.

"Oh, I reached for one, only to find the paperwork I was just working on has now disappeared too!" she replied indignantly. "I know I've got a lot of stuff on my desk but even I'm not _that_ bad at losing things!"

Horatio's eyebrows shot up at that. Then he spotted something out of the corner of his eye in the gun cabinet where Calleigh stored the various handguns she sometimes used for comparison during weapons testing. He went over to the cabinet and opened it, not sure if he could believe his eyes or not.

Having realized something had caught her boss's attention, Calleigh followed him with her eyes. Then her eyebrows shot up as he opened the cabinet and took out a very familiar pair of black _Ray Ban_ sunglasses. "Let me guess; you misplaced your sunglasses," she quipped.

"I thought I'd left these on my desk," he said, staring at the sunglasses in puzzlement.

"When was that?"

"Half an hour ago." He looked inside the cabinet again and spotted something else; a large pen with a purple finger-cushion grip near the base. He held up the pen and Calleigh's jaw dropped.

"How the hell did that get in there?" she demanded, coming over. "I haven't even gone near the gun cabinet all day!"

Just then, Eric stuck his head in the lab and asked, "Hey, Calleigh, have you seen those photos I took from the bank robbery this morning?"

"No, why?" she asked.

"Damn things are missing and I can't seem to find them," Eric said.

"Let me guess; you put them down somewhere and now they're missing," Calleigh said.

"You too, huh?" Eric asked, coming in to the lab. "Ryan had a similar experience and you know what he's like."

Indeed they did; Ryan Wolfe had a minor case of OCD and was not known for accidentally misplacing things, especially when it came to his work.

"Horatio?" came Natalie Boa Vista's voice as she joined them.

"Yes ma'am," Horatio said.

"Any chance we could have the women's washroom swept for hidden cameras or bugs?" she asked.

"Is there a problem?" he asked, puzzled by the request.

"I don't know but I swear to God that every time I go in there it feels like I'm being watched and it is _not_ a pleasant feeling," Natalie explained.

"You too, huh?" Calleigh asked. "And I thought it was just me."

"What do you mean?" Eric asked.

"When I stopped by there, just as I was about to head for home last night, I know I was alone but I could have sworn I was being watched," Calleigh explained. "Sent shivers down my spine."

"It felt like someone was, well, _angry_, at me for some reason, for lack of better description," Natalie said. "Creepy as hell." She rubbed her arms, shivering, as she remembered the uncomfortable sensation.

"That's what I felt, too; like there was someone watching me and he or she was angry at me and didn't want me there," Calleigh said.

"Has anyone else experienced a similar problem?" Horatio asked.

"I don't know but we can ask around," Natalie said.

"It seems to get worse at night," Calleigh mused. "Like whatever it is gets stronger at night."

Eric grinned. "Surely you're not suggesting we've got a ghost or something supernatural going on here at the lab?" he asked teasingly.

"Like you didn't get jumpy when that wooden coffin came in to our possession?" Calleigh shot back.

"That was Santeria, not ghosts," Eric replied. "Two different things."

"Before we get ahead of ourselves, lets make sure all rational reasons have been explored before we get into things like ghosts and the supernatural," Horatio cautioned firmly. "Calleigh, Natalie, talk to the other women in the lab, find out if they've been experiencing the same feeling while in the washroom. If necessary, I'll arrange to have the washroom swept for bugs."

"What about night-shift?" Eric asked. "Has anyone from night-shift said anything?"

"I ran into a lab technician from the night-shift and she mentioned that she'd been in the locker room and had gotten the strong sense of being watched even though she was pretty sure she'd been alone," Natalie admitted. "Said she was pretty freaked by it."

"Okay, see if you can find out more," Horatio said. "In the mean time, lets keep a level head until we can figure out exactly what is going on."

Everyone nodded in agreement. Just then Horatio's cell went off and he answered it.

"Caine," he said. "Alexx, whoa, whoa, slow down. Are you okay?" he asked, concern etching across his face. He listened for a moment then said, "Are you sure? All right, I'll be there as quickly as possible." He hung up and said, "Eric, with me. Seems Alexx saw someone in the observation level of the autopsy room and is pretty unnerved by it."

"Why would she be unnerved? I thought people watched from Observation all the time?" Eric asked, puzzled.

"Yes, except this person, this person disappeared before Alexx could get a closer look at him," Horatio said, already moving towards the door to head for the morgue.

"I'm coming with you," Calleigh said. Her voice booked no argument.

"And I'll talk to the other lab techs, see what I can find out," Natalie said. "You gotta admit, something freaky is going on around here."

About an hour later, Horatio returned to his office even more puzzled. When he, Eric, and Calleigh had arrived at the morgue they had gone up to Observation only to encounter a minor problem; the doors to the room were locked. To make matters even more interesting, someone had trashed the room, with paper and pens and chairs all over the place.

Alexx was badly rattled. She had reported looking up from the body she had been working on and spotted what looked like a male standing in Observation. She hadn't been able to make out any features, only that it had looked like a male with dark hair in dark clothing. She had also reported a very strong sense of fear, as if she knew the person in Observation wanted to hurt her and hurt her bad.

"I can't explain it, Horatio; I just _knew_ that person wanted to hurt me for whatever reason!" Alexx had said, shaking visibly. "And I don't know why!"

It wasn't until Calleigh offered to stay and keep her company that Alexx calmed down a bit. The two women were good friends and Calleigh had been with Alexx during enough autopsies to be able to give the medical examiner a hand.

Setting his sunglasses on his desk, Horatio turned to get some paperwork from a filing cabinet. A moment later, intent on finding what he was looking for, his head snapped up when he heard a sharp _crack._ Turning back towards his desk, where the noise had originated from, he felt his jaw dropping open. His sunglasses, which he had left in its customary spot near the edge of his desk, were now in the middle of his desk. To make matters worse, or interesting, depending on how one looked at it, the sunglasses were broken cleanly in two at the bridge of the nose.

Staring at his now-broken sunglasses, he felt a chill run through him. _What the hell is going on here?_ he wondered.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"I swear there was someone in that observation room but Horatio says both doors were locked!" Alexx recalled.

She and Nina were having coffee on Alexx's back porch while Alexx's two kids, David and Sarah, played with Taz and Pepé in the back yard. Alexx had just recounted her incident in the morgue.

"Pretty freaky," Nina commented sympathetically.

"Freaky doesn't even _begin_ to describe how I felt," Alexx said. "And then there's all these weird things going on with the rest of the lab."

"Oh?" Nina asked, her curiosity clearly piqued.

"Things go missing only to turn up in the strangest of places, people feeling like they're being watched when they know they're alone, cold spots, cold winds, foot steps when no one's there, that sort of stuff," Alexx said. "If I didn't know better, I'd say the lab is being haunted."

"Maybe it is," Nina suggested. "Maybe you guys acquired a ghost."

"Well if we did, he's sure not a friendly one," Alexx said, shivering. "There's just something… _wrong_… about this whole thing. Our ghost is not a happy ghost."

"I have a bit of an interest in ghosts and plenty of experience in dealing with them. I could always have a look-see and maybe suggest a way of helping him move on," Nina offered.

"That's going to be tricky," Alexx cautioned. "A lot of the people in the lab, they're scientists and you probably know the type."

"Yeah, gotta see it to believe it," Nina said sourly. "I know the feeling. My ex-husband was like that."

"I never knew you were once married," Alexx said, curious about this latest revelation from her friend.

Nina scowled as she drank her coffee. "Let's just say he was a good man at one point but there were some things he couldn't handle and when he couldn't handle it, he didn't handle it well. Towards the end of our marriage he became quite abusive and I left him." She gave a nasty grin as she continued. "I threatened to tell the judge about a few of his female 'friends' if he didn't play nice and cough up my share of the proceeds from the sale of our house when he tried to be difficult about it," she said.

"And what couldn't he handle?" Alexx asked, curious, sensing there was more to the story than what Nina was telling her.

Nina took a deep breath and seemed to listen to something for a moment. Then she spoke. "Before I tell you, I need to know; how open-minded are you about things?"

"Things? Are we talking about supernatural stuff, voodoo, bad mojo, that sort of stuff?" Alexx asked.

"Yeah."

"Sugar, my grandma was very superstitious. We had a murder during an eclipse and nobody believed me when I said I was told by my grandma that when a body dies during an eclipse, that soul's gonna come back and take someone with him," Alexx explained. "And he did."

Nina nodded. "So you're pretty open-minded about ghosts and spirits and what-not?"

"I feel 'em all the time when they wind up on my table, sugar. I just do the best I can to help them and hope Horatio and his team can give them some measure of peace by finding out who killed them."

Nina nodded again. She took a deep breath and said, "I'm placing a great deal of trust in you by admitting this to you, but I've been told I can trust you, that you're liable to take things with a grain of salt but you're willing to listen."

"And what's that?" Alexx asked gently, sensing this was some pretty fragile ice she was now standing on.

"My husband couldn't handle my gift."

"And what gift was that?" Alexx asked gently.

"The gift of seeing and communicating with the dead."

Alexx's eyebrows shot up. "Meaning you're physic?" she asked carefully.

Nina laughed. "I wish. No, the dead, spirits, if you want to call 'em that, I can talk to them the way I'm talking to you now. I can see them the way I'm seeing you now."

"Are you serious?" Alexx asked, disbelief clearly in her voice and in her posture.

"Very, and I can prove it." She moved to stand at the railing, looking out at something only she could see.

"Please," Alexx said.

"Does the name Todd Kendrick mean anything to you?" she asked.

"Yes, he was a serial killer who escaped from prison during a prison-sponsored work-order to help with a dry storm fire in the Glades," Alexx said, remembering.

"He did more than that; he also killed Claire Bushnell, a free-lance video-photographer, via gunshot to the temple, Larry Van Owen via machete to the chest, and Ty Radcliffe via gunshot to the crotch," Nina rattled off. "Unfortunately Ty got off a shot and caught him with a bullet on the stomach on the left side. He kidnapped you when you were driving your medical examiner's van and forced you to bandage him up. He then went after Joey Everton, Cyrus Templeton's son, and, after stealing the master list which contained all the pass codes for Cyrus's clients, all of whom Cyrus set up home security systems for, showed him Ty's dead body, causing the poor kid to scream in terror." Nina gave a heavy sigh and continued. "You demanded to know what kind of a monster he was and attacked him, trying to give the boy time to escape. He nearly killed you but the cops got there first, but he escaped and stole Russell Chan's airboat."

Alexx was staring at her as if she could not believe her eyes. "How… how did he die?" she asked.

"Deliberately ran in to the fires in the Glades with what sounds like Horatio and Eric hot on his heels. He didn't know their names but he pointed them out to me," Nina said. "Last thing he ever said was '_You're always one step behind._'

"Who identified him, how, and where?" Alexx demanded.

"You identified him by the bandage you did on his stomach and he was found in the Glades. Eric said he would be tough to identify but you identified him by your handiwork," Nina said.

"How do you know about him? How do you know all this stuff?" Alexx demanded standing up and joining her, not sure if she could believe her ears.

Nina shrugged. "He told me."

"He told you?"

"Mm-hm. He says he's sorry, that he realizes what he did was wrong," Nina said. She seemed to listen to something or someone Alexx couldn't see and then continued. "He wants to know if you can forgive him, that he knows he made a lot of mistakes in his life and he's sorry he hurt you. He should have never hurt you or the boy, Joey, but he thought Joey would want revenge against the guy who molested him. Says he went about it the wrong way and he knows that now."

"Is he here?" Alexx demanded.

"Yup. He's been hanging around for a little while. He'll move on but hopes you can forgive him," Nina said.

"You tell that sonovabitch-" Alexx began.

"I don't have to tell him anything; he can hear you loud and clear."

Alexx stopped for a moment, breathing hard, trying to think. Finally she spoke. "I do not like having my kids threatened. If you needed help, all you had to do was ask. I would have helped you; you didn't have to threaten me or my kids."

"He realizes that now. You're the kind of mother who's ferociously protective of her kids and wishes his own mother had been like that."

"Is he truly sorry for what he did?" Alexx demanded.

"I think he is."

"I'm not normally a very forgiving person but if he is genuinely sorry and realizes what he did was wrong, then yes, I can forgive him," Alexx decided after thinking hard for a moment.

Nina looked at someone past Alexx's shoulder and smiled. "He says he does and thank you. You are a far better person than you realize." She listened for a moment and said, "Yeah, it is. Go. You'll find peace there." She smiled again and said, "You're welcome."

"Is he gone?" Alexx asked.

"He is now. He's at peace."

Alexx nodded. "I've… I've got to think about this. This is… this is just…"

"Beyond anything you've ever dealt with. I understand. Welcome to my life," Nina quipped. She swallowed the rest of her coffee and said, "Tell you what; I'll boogie off and let you think about it in private, hmm? Let me know what you think, but don't wait too long. Sounds like the lab has their hands full and somebody needs to talk to this guy before things get way out of hand." And with that, she called to her two dogs and left quietly, leaving Alexx to stare in puzzlement, feeling as if she'd just had her whole world turned up-side down.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **_sorry so long on the up-date but life caught up to me, as I like to say. Might be a bit boring and not up to my usual standards but I've been typing this on the go, so to speak, and usually around 7:30 in the morning, which is one of the few quiet times I get these days :D Thank you all for your reviews and I hope I continue to keep you hooked._

**Chapter 5**

Alexx sighed heavily and stared at the ceiling in her bedroom. She just could not sleep as her mind was jumping all over the place. Beside her, her husband, Jake, slept soundly.

Earlier that day Nina had revealed she could communicate with spirits on a level beyond an ordinary physic. To prove it to Alexx, Nina had revealed quite a bit about Todd Kendrick, things she as an ordinary college teacher could not have known or found out easily.

Alexx didn't know what to think. Nina's gift, if one could call it that, went beyond conventional science, beyond rational understanding. If her gift was real then it was a very special gift. After all, how many people got to say good-bye to their loved ones when their loved ones were no longer alive? However, if Nina was a fake, she was a damn good one. Alexx didn't want to believe that Nina, friendly, out-going Nina with her beloved dogs, could be a fake.

Yet, being able to communicate with spirits, being able to see and talk to them, that was just… it defied the sciences.

_Then again, what did science know about spirits, about the human soul? We've been debating about that for eons and we're still debating it, _Alexx thought ruefully. _For Nina, on the other hand, there's no debate. It simply is. I wonder how she handles it, being able to communicate with spirits like that. Must be hell on her personal life._ She grinned before sobering. _I wonder what it's like, living with that kind of gift?_ the thought flashed through her mind. _She did mention that her ex-husband hadn't been able to handle her gift well. Must be hell sometimes._

Alexx got up and went to her bedroom window, unable to sleep and feeling restless. She noticed a light on at Nina's house. It looked like her neighbor was still up.

Before she knew it, she was pulling her clothes on and giving her husband a quick, quiet explanation that she was going over to Nina's for a bit. He simply grunted and went back to sleep.

_The first step in understanding is asking questions,_ Alexx reminded herself firmly as she headed towards Nina's house. _Isn't that what I try and teach my medical examiner interns?_

When Nina opened her door, she didn't look too happy with life. As a matter of fact, she looked down-right frazzled.

"Are you okay?" Alexx immediately asked, concerned.

Nina smiled tiredly. "I'm fine, thanks."

"What's going on?" Alexx asked, sensing something was up.

"You want the truth or the fudge?"

"Which is more interesting?"

"The truth." Nina's eyes seemed to silently challenge her as to whether or not she wanted to hear the truth.

"In that case, I'll take the truth," Alexx said, deciding to take the challenge.

"Okay. I've got a pair of mischievous ghost twins I'm trying to convince to cross over but they're too busy having fun," Nina explained.

"Wow," Alexx said. "Sounds like you could use a hand."

"Only if you know a thing or two about handling rambunctious kids," Nina said, stepping aside and allowing Alexx in.

"Sugar, I'm a parent of two kids; I should think I know a thing or two about dealing with rambunctious kids," Alexx said, grinning. "Might be a bit different since they're ghosts but I'll do my best."

Nina smiled and lead the way to the kitchen. "Coffee?"

"Please."

As Nina made Alexx a cup of coffee, she said, "I'm guessing you've made up your mind in regards to my little talent."

"More or less. It's not that I believe you or disbelieve you. It's just that I want to understand. Call me curious, call me nosy, call me whatever you want, but I want to try and understand your gift and how it affects your life," Alexx said, sitting down at the chair at the island counter.

Nina studied Alexx for a moment and Alexx got the funny feeling she was debating with herself just how much to reveal. She decided to be patient and wait and hope Nina could trust her enough with what was probably one of her most difficult secrets.

Finally Nina spoke. "You know, you're one of the very few people who ever bothered to try and understand what I go through, rather than condemn or judge me. I should warn you though, some of what goes on, well, it can get a little interesting to say the least." She smiled.

"Can't be any more interesting than the stories I hear about the people who end up on my table," Alexx pointed out.

Nina grinned. "You sure about that?" she asked. "Once your people end up on your table, they stay on your table. My people, however, have been known to scare the hell out of me long after they're dead."

"You must have some interesting tales," Alexx quipped, accepting the coffee Nina handed her.

Nina grinned even broader as she raided the fridge and pulled out a bowl of fruit salad, placed it on the counter, and grabbed two forks before joining Alexx at the counter. She handed Alexx a fork and indicated she was to dig in.

"Shall I tell you about the time I encountered an elderly gentleman who had literally been scared to death when his beloved tomcat had scared him one night and he wanted to make sure the poor cat knew he didn't blame him for what happened? Only problem was, cats and dogs are more sensitive and more aware of spirits than we normally are, and every time this poor man tried to get near the cat, it would hiss and snarl like crazy," Nina said.

"Animals are more sensitive to spirits?" Alexx asked, digging into the salad.

"Why do you think I have the dogs and Mercury? Sometimes they can sense a ghost before the ghost actually pops into view," Nina explained. "Ever wondered why a cat or a dog will stare at something we can't see or why a dog will start barking like crazy when there's no one there? Because they can see what we can't."

"So how did you help the man?" Alexx asked.

"That was tricky, I'll tell you, but…." Nina began.

_Several hours later:_

Both Alexx and Nina were laughing hysterically as Nina recounted an incident with a ghost in her class.

"On the one hand I'm thinking '_whoo-hoo_!' but on the other hand I'm thinking '_Oh my god!_"" Nina said, giggling. "I'm standing there thinking '_Well, I may be married but I'm definitely not blind!_' Here was this very good looking guy standing stark naked in front of me and dancing away to the rap music that was playing on the CD player, not realizing he was stark naked! To make matters worse, he was _very_ well hung and every time he moved, well…"

Alexx laughed even harder, holding her ribs. "Did he ever finally realize he was naked?"

"Sure, and all of a sudden he goes beet-red and…" Nina mimed a guy using his hands to cover his groin, "and vanished." She giggled again.

"What was his problem?" Alexx asked, snagging a cookie from the bag of raisin-oatmeal cookies. The fruit salad had been finished off some time ago.

"He'd drowned while skinny-dipping in a pool. Turned out he was pretty drunk at the time," Nina explained. "He finally moved on when I spoke to his younger brother for him and warned him of the consequences of messing with alcohol the way he had. Turned out he'd been the golden boy of the family and his parents had omitted the alcohol part to Baby Brother when they'd told him about his death."

"Oh boy," Alexx said, wincing in sympathy.

"Yeah. Big Brother just wanted to make sure Baby Brother wouldn't make the same mistakes as he. Last I heard, the kid was doing okay and avoiding alcohol like the plague," Nina said.

"That's good," Alexx said. Suddenly she jumped as she felt a cold wet nose press itself against her leg. She looked down but saw nothing and no one there.

"You okay?" Nina asked, noticing Alexx's sudden confusion.

"I thought I felt one of your dogs put its nose up against my leg but there's no one there," Alexx explained, looking around in confusion.

Nina turned sideways and looked around before smiling at something near Alexx's leg. "Oh! Hey there, Cujo! Wondered where you've been," she said to someone Alexx couldn't see.

"Cujo?" Alexx asked, even more confused.

"Yeah, he's a very furry dog, hair in his face and all that, that seems to have adopted me," Nina explained. "I've tried to convince him to move on in to the light but so far no such luck. I'm guessing he'll move on when he thinks he's ready."

"You have a ghost dog living with you?" Alexx asked, shaking her head in amazement. "Why doesn't that surprise me?"

"After what I just finished telling you…." Nina pointed out.

"Good point." Alexx thought for a moment then said, "Tell you what, sugar, I'm going to talk to Horatio in the morning and see what I can do about arranging a tour of the labs and the morgue for you."

"And if it turns out there is a ghost there?"

"Then tell me what I need to do to help him move on, as you say," Alexx said.

"And Johnny?"

"Your friend who's gone missing? I mentioned him to Horatio but I'll mention him again," Alexx said. "Is Johnny dead?"

"Yeah, but right now he's a bit confused so I'm not getting too many details from him at the moment," Nina said.

Alexx nodded. One of the things Nina had told her about ghosts was that sometimes, especially if their death had been a particularly violent one or if the victim was a child, they could be a bit confused at first and it took a bit of time, patience, and encouragement for them to remember what had happened. Once they did remember, it was only a matter of helping them take care of whatever it was that needed taking care of so they could find their peace. "In that case, I'll talk to Horatio and give you a call."

"Appreciate it, Alexx," Nina said, standing up and walking Alexx to the door. "Grab what sleep you can, since it is morning already," she gave a lop-sided grin, "and thank you."

"Thank you for being willing to talk to me about your gift," Alexx said at the door.

"Hey, just being able to talk about it to someone who's willing to listen, that's always appreciated," Nina said. She nodded good-night and, with a tired smile, Alexx headed back to her house, feeling satisfied with the answers Nina had given her. As soon as she'd grabbed a few hours of sleep she would be paying a visit to Horatio and try and help her friend as she had helped so many others.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

As promised, that very morning Alexx spoke to Horatio about Nina, sort of. She wasn't quite sure how the lieutenant would handle knowing Nina could see ghosts so she decided to leave that part alone for now. She decided to keep it simple and mention that Nina was joining her for lunch later that day and was really worried about a student of hers. She had hoped to talk to Horatio, or someone who would listen to her, about her missing student, Johnny.

"Alright, Alexx. I can't make any promises, but I will listen to what Nina has to say and we'll take it from there," he said. He sighed tiredly.

"Horatio, are you alright?" Alexx asked, sensing something was up with her friend.

"Just tired, Alexx, just tired," he said. He gave her a tired smile. "We recently checked the washrooms for bugs and came up empty. Same with the locker rooms and the Observation room. I also had the air conditioner checked out and it's fine."

"So all logical reasons for the recent events have been checked and cleared and yet we're still having problems," Alexx said.

"Yes," Horatio said.

"Horatio, Nina is, well, _sensitive_ to things beyond our five senses. I told her what was going on around her and she thinks we may have acquired a ghost," Alexx said carefully.

"Alexx, is Nina physic?" Horatio asked just as carefully.

"And if I said yes?"

"Then I would take it with a grain of salt from a scientific point of view, but since all logical explanations for the recent going-ons have been dismissed, I'm not quite sure what to do."

"So why not let Nina have a look around. You never know what she might find," Alexx suggested gently.

He nodded. "I'll meet with Nina and we will show her around the lab, but she is to be treated as a regular visitor and kept from the restricted areas," he said.

"Thank you, Horatio. I'm sure Nina will do whatever she can to help," Alexx said, smiling.

When Nina got the phone call from Alexx telling her Horatio had agreed to meet with her and show her around the lab, she decided it would be in her best interests to dress right. If she was going to be taken seriously, she had to look the part. So she chose a favourite blue stretch satin zip front corset top decorated with butterflies and grey pinstripe dress pants. Over the corset she wore a dusty blue chantilly lace jacket and black suede leather lace-up ankle boots.

When she arrived at the lab, Horatio and Alexx met her at Reception. She gave the tired man a reassuring smile.

"I'm not sure what Alexx told you about me or my gift, but I promise you, I will do everything I can to help," Nina said.

Horatio smiled back and said, "At this point I'm being cautious, but I'm willing to keep an open mind."

"That's always a good thing," Nina said. "What are the more common trouble spots, the areas where there seems to be the most activity?"

So Horatio and Alexx took Nina to the washrooms and the locker rooms. Nina didn't report any ghosts until they got to the morgue. It was there that she found the spirit of a little girl.

Getting down on her knees and smiling warmly at the little girl dressed in dirty jeans and a tee-shirt she said, "Hello, sweetie."

"Hi! How come you can see me and the others can't?" the little girl asked.

"If I knew the answer to that, I'd tell you, sweetie. Just one of those things, I guess," Nina replied. "I'm Nina. What's your name?"

"Emily and I'm five. You're pretty," Emily said.

"Thank you, Emily." Nina looked up at Horatio and Alexx and explained. "I've got a little girl by the name of Emily. She's five years old and has brown hair."

Alexx's brow furrowed as she tried to recall the girl. Nina turned back to Emily.

"Sweetie, how come you're still here?" she asked.

"I can't find my mommy."

"What's your mommy's name?"

"I heard Uncle Argyle call her Diana once," Emily said.

"Diana, huh? That's a nice name. Listen, Emily, what's the last thing you remember?" Nina asked, watching as Alexx strolled over to her computer and began typing in names.

Emily seemed to think for a moment then she said, "Daddy was driving and I was in the back of the car. Daddy scared me because he smelled funny and when he smelled funny he was scary. Mommy was in the front and she was gonna answer my question about when we would be home. Then there was a bright light and loud noises and I heard Mommy screaming."

"So Daddy was drunk and driving when you were killed, huh?" Nina asked for the benefit of Horatio and Alexx, watching as Alexx typed in some more information before beckoning Horatio over and pointing to her screen. "Alexx, what about Emily's parents? Are they still alive or what?"

"Can you get a last name, sugar?" Alexx asked.

Nina looked at Emily and Emily said, "Joctor. Emily June Joctor."

Nina repeated the information to Alexx who typed again before nodding once. She looked at Nina, held up two fingers and nodded. Both parents were still alive.

"Listen, sweetie, I know you're looking for your mommy but you're not going to find her here," Nina said.

"Then where is she?" Emily demanded.

"She'll join you when it's time," Nina said. "Do you remember if anyone you know went to heaven? Your grandma or grandpa, maybe?"

Emily seemed to think for a moment and then her face lit up. "Grandma! She went to heaven but Mommy said she would always be watching over me. I miss her." Then something past Nina's shoulder caught her attention. "Grandma!" she called, delighted by whatever it was she could see. Then her brow furrowed again. "But what about Mommy?"

"Your mommy will join you when it's time, but don't worry; it'll feel like no time at all," Nina assured her gently. "Go, go give your grandma a hug. You see that light that's shining around her?"

"Yeah?"

"If you go with your grandma into that light, you'll have lots of fun there," Nina promised.

Emily seemed to listen to something then she smiled. "Grandma says you're right. Coming, Grandma!" she called, giggling. She started to skip towards something but then stopped and looked back. "Could you please tell the nice lady I liked the lullaby she sang to me? I hope she sings it again."

"I'll tell her, I promise," Nina said, smiling.

"Bye, pretty lady!" Emily called and then she was gone.

"She's gone," Nina said, straightening up.

"Emily June Joctor, victim of a drunk-driving accident," Alexx reported as Nina joined her. "Both parents survived."

"Her father was at the wheel," Nina said. "She said to say thank you for singing that nice lullaby to her and hopes you sing it again."

"Alexx?" Horatio asked, confused by the shocked look on Alexx's face.

"I was alone in the room at the time," Alexx explained, "and I started singing _All Through The Night_, a lullaby I often sang to my own kids."

"Well, she said thank you," Nina explained.

Alexx smiled softly. "You're welcome, baby." She looked at Nina and asked, "Is she at peace now?"

Nina nodded. "Her grandmother came and guided her into the light once she remembered her."

Suddenly a man with sleepy eyes, dark hair, and a scruffy look about him popped in front of Nina, causing her to jump back in surprise. The man looked like he hadn't shaved in a couple of days and his shirt was untucked.

"You can see us," the man said bluntly.

"Yeah, I can," Nina said cautiously, holding up a 'hold-on' hand to Horatio and Alexx.

"Good. There's trouble going on up-stairs in the labs," the man said. "H is about to get a call from Natalia."

"Who's Ache?" Nina asked, not recognizing the name.

"H. Horatio," the man explained with a sort of 'duh' look on his face.

Sure enough, two seconds later Horatio's cell phone went off. "Caine," he said, answering it. "Whoa, whoa, slow down, Natalia. What's going on?" He listened for a moment and then said, "I'm on my way." He hung up, looked at both women and said, "Seems our resident ghost has decided to put in an appearance again."

"Let's go," Nina said.

"He's in the DNA lab," the man said, moving along with them.

"I've got someone with me who says the ghost is in the DNA lab," Nina said.

"Damn," Horatio muttered, punching the elevator button hard, as if beating up on it would make the elevator move faster.

In the elevator Nina turned to the man and said, "Can you give me any details about this fellow?"

"Hope you speak Spanish and have been to church recently," the man said.

"He's a priest?" Nina asked, confused.

"Yeah, just can't tell if he's Catholic or Anglican," the man said.

"Why not?" Nina asked.

"'Cause he's wearing one of those black and white things that priests wear and he keeps yelling in Spanish, and mine happens to be a bit rusty."

"That doesn't help."

"Sweetheart, I don't speak Spanish. Horatio and Calleigh do. And I'm not even sure about the Spanish part."

"Why?"

"It sounds like Spanish but the dialect and some of the words are a bit off," the man explained.

"Thought you said you didn't speak Spanish," she sassed, smiling sweetly.

He glared at her. "I may not speak the language but that doesn't mean I don't recognize it when it's being spoken."

Just then, the elevator opened and the trio disembarked, dashing towards the DNA lab. Just before the ghost disappeared, he gave one last parting shot.

"Be careful; the guy is pissed about something."

"Gee, thanks for telling me that sooner!" Nina yelled, wondering what the hell she was getting in to.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** _Anyone want to venture a guess as to who that scruffy-looking guy was in the last chapter?_

**Chapter 7**

"Who was that?" Alexx demanded as she, Horatio, and Nina ran towards the DNA lab. She was referring to the spirit Nina had spoken to while in the elevator.

"Damned if I know. He'll probably pop up again later," Nina said. "He was kind enough to warn us about the pissed-off priest, though."

"It's a priest that's causing the problems?" Alexx asked incredulously.

"Seems so. Duck!" Nina yelled, having spotted something flying straight towards them. Both she and Alexx hit the floor in time to avoid a glass beaker that had been thrown at them.

"Natalia!" Horatio called, also having managed to avoid the flying beaker.

"Over here!" Natalia called from somewhere in the DNA lab. They found Natalia, along with Valera Maxine, crouched behind a table. In the room, Eric was fighting with a printer that seemed to have gone crazy, spewing out paper in one long, constant stream. Calleigh was also there, trying frantically to unplug all the devices that were going crazy, but she was not having an easy time of it as she was trying to duck flying objects as well.

While Horatio and Alexx went to assist their co-workers, Nina frantically looked around for the perpetrator. She spotted someone in a long black cassock standing just outside the DNA lab, glaring at the whole thing.

Nina took a moment to take in his appearance. He was a slender, almost scrawny, man dressed in a long black cassock with a white collar. He had oily-looking black hair, a black beard and moustache, dark eyes, thin lips, and a nose that looked like it had been broken at least once. He also wore what looked like a rosary with black beads.

"Hey, bone-head!" Nina yelled at him, moving towards him. He looked at her incredulously. "Yeah, I'm talking to you!" He said something in Spanish, a question, she figured. "Stop this! Stop it right now!" she yelled. "If you've got a point to make, pal, fine! But make it by talking to me, not by pulling this crap!"

"¿Quiénes son usted, puta¿Qué usted está haciendo aquí?" the priest yelled, shaking a fist at her. _Who are you, whore? What are you doing here?_

"_Did he just call me what I think he did?_" Nina thought, raising an eyebrow as she recognized the word _puta_. But the supernatural activity stopped. "I don't speak Spanish, buddy, so let's try some English, huh?" she asked sarcastically. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched as Alexx, Horatio, Calleigh, and Eric helped Natalia and Maxine straighten up. Poor Maxine had a bit of a cut on her face from where flying glass had caught her. Both women looked shaken, which was understandable given the circumstances.

"¡Usted es sinners todos¡Repent o hace frente a la cólera del señor!" the priest yelled again.

"He said '_You are sinners all! Repent or face the wrath of the Lord!_'" a man with dark brown hair and olive-colored skin said, appearing next to her. He wore the tan and brown uniform of a patrol officer and had his thumbs hooked in the belt of his pants.

"You speak Spanish, I take it," Nina said, glad someone did.

"Born and raised in Miami, kinda hard not to," the officer said, offering her an easy grin.

"You got a name?" Nina asked.

"Officer Bryan Jessop at your service, ma'am."

"Nice to meet you," Nina said. "If you help me translate what this moron is saying, is there anything I can do for you?"

He smiled again. "Raincheck for now." Nina nodded.

Absorbed in dealing with the priest and Jessop, Nina failed to notice she had an audience now.

"Nina, what's going on?" Alexx asked, joining her friend as Nina looked at something beyond her view.

"Well, I've got a very angry priest who doesn't speak English and he's wearing a rosary plus the usual black vestments," Nina said. "Plus I've got Officer Jessop translating for me."

Several heads snapped towards her and several pairs of eyes went wide.

The priest said, "¡Váyase, ahora¡O usted hará frente a la cólera del dios!" and pointed a finger at her, shaking it.

"_Leave, now! Or you shall face the wrath of God!_" Jessop translated.

"He got a name?" Nina asked.

"I'll ask him," Jessop said. "¿Cuál es su nombre, señor?" _What is your name, mister?_

"Padre Amadis Fernandez," the priest said proudly. _Father Amadis Fernandez._

"Okay, I talk, you translate," Nina told Jessop. He nodded. Nina addressed the priest. "Father, what is wrong? Is there something I can do to help you? If there's a problem, which I'm guessing there is, otherwise you wouldn't be pulling this stuff, please, let me help you so you can find some peace."

_Uh-oh!_ Nina thought as Fernandez's face suddenly turned an ugly shade of red.

Eric had seen a lot of crazy things in his life, especially working as a CSI for Miami-Dade. He had seen people talk to themselves, much like the woman Alexx had reminded him as being her next door neighbour, the one whose faucet had exploded, was doing now. Usually such odd actions and events had a rationally explanation, but Eric swore that what he would see he could find no logical or scientific explanation for.

As Alexx, Eric, Natalia, Maxine, Calleigh, and Horatio watched in horror, something seemed to grab Nina by the throat and lift her several feet off the ground.

"Oh my god, Nina!" Alexx cried, watching helplessly as her friend choked, gagged, kicked, and clawed at something she couldn't see. Eric and Horatio grabbed Nina's waist and legs and tried lifting her away from whatever it was that had its grip on her.

"¿Qué usted sabe de la paz, temptress asquerosos¡Usted se quemará en el infierno para sus pecados!" Fernandez snarled.

"What do you know of peace, filthy temptress? You shall burn in Hell for your sins!" Jessop translated rapidly, frantically trying to see what he could do to help Nina.

"Not helping, Jessop!" Nina choked out, desperately trying to get the invisible force away from her neck.

"¡Déjela ir¡Ésta no es la manera de solucionar su problema¡Déjela ir ahora!" Jessop yelled at Fernandez. _Let her go! This is not the way to solve your problem! Let her go right now!_

Fernandez did let Nina go alright. He let her go by suddenly flinging her half-way down the hallway. She landed with a loud, painful thud on her back and slid several feet before she stopped. Choking and gasping for air, Nina struggled to stand up. Jessop appeared next to her, worry etched on his face. "What the hell is his problem?" she asked. Before the officer could reply, Fernandez appeared in front of her again and she felt a force slam into her chest, sending her flying backwards again, this time all the way to the elevator doors.

_THUD!_

Nina felt herself falling backwards and she began to scream, afraid that once she started falling she wouldn't be able to stop until she hit bottom and that when she did, it was going to hurt like hell.

Sgt. Frank Tripp was on his way up to the labs to see Calleigh about some ballistics result and was waiting for the elevator doors to open when a loud thud caught his attention. It had come from the outside set of elevator doors and he went into battle stance instinctively, ready to hit the floor if it came to that. Instead, the doors open and a woman started falling backwards. She would have hit the floor had he not caught her first.

A pair of dazed blue-green eyes stared at him, blinking rapidly. From the way she was holding her head, he'd say she'd just taken a heck of a knock to the back of the head. But then something happened.

Frank had seen a lot of attractive women in his line of work, heck he'd been married not that long ago. Didn't help that the woman in his arms was looking pretty dazed and probably needed medical attention, but the Homicide veteran felt the stirrings of something within his chest, something he thought had died when he'd found out his wife had tried to bait him with a woman to see if he was cheating on her.

"Are you okay, ma'am?" Frank asked, trying to keep his eyes away from her breasts, which were threatening to spill out of the top she was wearing. He noticed two thirds of the day-shift lab had run up to join them, with Alexx Woods in the group. Did he miss something, he wondered absently.

"Oh, I'm great but, umm, which one of the three of you am I talking to?" Nina asked, giving him a slightly puzzled smile and rubbing her aching head. "Oh, not again," she muttered, looking at something Frank couldn't see.

"¡Bastantes!" Jessop snapped, moving to stand in front of Nina and Frank, one hand held up, palm out. _Enough!_

"¡Déme detrás cuál es el mío!" Fernandez yelled, shaking his fist angrily. _Give me back what is mine!_ And with that, he was gone.

"_That_ is one pissed off ghost," Nina said.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: **once again, thank you all for the kind reviews and hope you like this chapter.

**Chapter 8**

As Frank helped Nina up off the floor he demanded, "Okay, someone tell me what the hell is going on here? What did she mean by one pissed off ghost? Ghosts don't exist."

Nina looked at him and said, "You sure about that?" She looked at the rest of the group and said, "Is everyone okay?" There was a round of nods.

By now Ryan Wolfe had joined them and he asked the same question as Frank had. "What the hell just happened?"

Eric grinned at him. "Where were you? You missed all the excitement."

"If you want to call that excitement," Maxine muttered.

Puzzled, Ryan said, "I just got back from a crime scene and was going to drop off some DNA samples for Valera."

"Gonna be back-logged for a while until we can get the DNA lab cleaned up," Valera said. "And unfortunately I think several samples got contaminated."

"Our resident ghost showed up again," Calleigh explained, "and caused a bit of havoc until Nina, here, managed to talk some sense into him, I think."

"Ghosts don't exist," Ryan said.

Nina just looked at him.

"Okay, Nina, please explain, what just happened," Horatio said patiently.

"Short of the long, you guys have one very angry priest who speaks Spanish and he wants something back, something he claims is his," Nina said bluntly. "His name is Father Amadis Fernandez and I'm guessing a bit of a religious fanatic from what he was yelling."

"What makes you say that?" Alexx asked.

"How many priests do you know say stuff about us being sinners all and going to burn in Hell, repenting or facing the wrath of the Lord, and yada yada yada?" Nina asked wryly. "Oh, and I got called a whore in the same sentence." She rubbed her aching head and said, "Look, I know this is a lot to take in but right now, ladies and gentlemen, I need a painkiller and a cup of coffee and a chance to sit down. Then, and only then, will I explain what happened. If you have any questions, and I'm placing some heavy bets you all will, I will answer them on the condition you keep an open mind."

Horatio nodded and Alexx said, "I agree. I want to take a look at your head and how's your throat, sugar?"

Nina raised her chin and Alexx gasped softly. Fresh bruises were starting to form around Nina's neck and they looked like perfect handprints.

Once Horatio had arranged for a cleaning crew for the DNA lab, introductions were made, and everyone had gotten settled down in the staff lounge, Frank included, Nina began to explain.

"Alright, this is how it is," she began. "While there is no solid scientific evidence that ghosts exist or don't exist, I can tell you right now that they do. I see and communicate with them every day. Sometimes I have an easy time of it, sometimes I don't."

"Can you prove this?" Ryan asked.

Jessop appeared beside Ryan and grinned. "Remember that rain check?" he asked. She nodded, taking a sip of her coffee. Alexx had kindly gotten her some Tylenol earlier and it was finally starting to kick in. "Tell Ryan I appreciate him putting my badge back where it belonged," he said. "Oh, and I was killed when I accidentally triggered a bomb went off under a barbeque grill at the scene of a multiple homicide involving the Mala Noche. Three of their guys were killed. Lieutenant Caine was there and his yell was the last thing I remember hearing."

Nina addressed Ryan and said, "Officer Bryan Jessop says he appreciates you putting his badge back where it belongs."

"Where did I put it?" Ryan asked suspiciously.

"With me in the morgue," Jessop said.

"With him in the morgue," Nina repeated. Ryan's face went pale.

"I was alone in the room at the time," he said. "How the hell…"

Jessop grinned and said to Nina, "We're even." Then he vanished.

"Bryan was kind enough to assist me with dealing with Father Fernandez," Nina explained. "Seems he spoke Spanish, which is a good thing, since I don't speak a word of it, except for a couple of cuss words."

"How did Jessop die?" Eric asked.

Nina repeated what Jessop had told her. Frank leaned over to Horatio and quietly asked, "Was that in any of the reports?" Horatio shook his head, frowning. There was only two ways Nina could have known; either she had been there when the accident had occurred or…. Jessop had in fact told her from beyond the grave.

"So you can… communicate with spirits?" Calleigh asked, hesitantly curious.

"My tap water line didn't explode because I forgot to shut off the water line completely," Nina said. "It exploded because a ghost by the name of David Heckadon decided to let me know he was there and that he had died in water." She scowled at the memory. "Why they insist on letting me know things like that_that_ way rather than just telling me, I'll never know," she muttered.

"How did this David Heckadon die?" Natalia asked, curious.

"Idiot drowned in his own bathtub. He'd had a heart-attack and had been at his mistress's house at the time," Nina said, scowling. "He wanted me to apologize to his wife for him. _That _was not my idea of a fun time; she threatened to have a restraining order put against me until I convinced her I was serious."

"How'd you manage that?" Alexx asked.

"Told her a few secrets only hubby knew about," Nina said, grinning.

Alexx grinned back.

"Okay, I'm willing to take what you're saying with an open mind," Natalia said, "so what do we do about the priest?"

"Well, he's demanding that someone return what was his," Nina said. "Has the lab acquired any religious vestments or artefacts recently?"

A puzzled look came across Valera's face and she asked Ryan, "Didn't we get that gold cross a few days ago? The one with the emeralds on it?"

Ryan nodded, remembering.

"Gold cross?" Frank asked.

"A blood-stained cross that came from a dead drug dealer," Ryan explained. "Turned out the blood on it was only his. Thing looked as old as hell."

"So where did the cross come from originally?" Horatio asked.

"The wife of the victim didn't know, but we didn't get a chance to ask his kids," Ryan said.

"Do so. If we can track the origin of the cross, we may be able to find out where it came from originally and perhaps return it," Horatio said.

"Wouldn't the churches have records of their priests?" Calleigh asked.

"Probably," Eric said, "and I think I know one or two places I can contact, see if maybe there was a record of this Father Fernandez."

"In the mean time, what do you suggest we do if Father Fernandez shows up again?" Horatio asked Nina.

"Hang a cross somewhere, start wearing crucifixes, and try talking to the guy by reassuring him you are trying to locate what was his and return it to him," Nina suggested. "If all else fails, try reciting a passage from the bible or sing a few hymns. The guy appears to be a bit of a religious nut; he might go for it."

"So we've got to humour a ghost until we can return his stuff?" Ryan asked sarcastically.

"Got any better ideas?" Calleigh shot back.

Ryan shut up.

"Okay, Ryan, Natalia, find that cross. Frank, you and I are going to talk the victim's boys and try and find out where they got the cross. Calleigh, you and Eric try and find this Father Fernandez," Horatio said. "Valera, take care of the DNA lab and Alexx, for now, take Nina home so she can rest. The sooner we take care of Father Fernandez, the sooner we can get things back to normal."

Everyone nodded and stood up to take care of their respective assignments. Then Nina seemed to stop and stare at something no one else could see.

"Wondering when you were going to pop up again," she said to someone. "I appreciate the warning. You got a name?" She looked at the rest of the group and said, "Does the name Tim Speedle, a.k.a. Speed, mean anything to you guys?" Several faces went pale but it was Frank that spoke up.

"Yeah, Tim was a CSI killed in the line of duty a few years ago," he said.

Nina nodded. "He's got a few messages he wants me to pass on to you guys."

"_Speed_," Horatio whispered hoarsely.

Nina listened for a moment then started talking. "H, you have to stop blaming yourself for what happened. It was his fault, not yours. Calleigh, thank you for not telling his parents the truth about what happened with his gun. Ryan, keep up the good work. You got a second chance; don't blow it. Eric, are you sure it was all a hallucination? Oh, and Alexx?"

"Yes, sugar?"

"Thanks for looking after him and he's sorry he wound up on your table; that hadn't exactly been his intention," Nina said. "And on that note, I think it's home time for me."

"Walk you to your car?" Frank offered, sensing an opportunity he'd be stupid not to take. He'd done some thinking and decided that odd gift or not, Nina seemed like a woman he wanted to get to know better and he'd let the rest of the cards fall where they may.

"Sure," Nina said, smiling at the Texan.

With Alexx accompanying them as she would be the one driving Nina home, not trusting Nina to get dizzy on the way home as a result of the blow to the head, the three headed for Nina's car.

Alexx, sensing something was up, wisely took Nina's keys and started up the car, giving Nina and Frank a bit of space.

"You going to be okay?" Frank asked.

Nina shrugged, smiling. "I'll live. Not the first time an unhappy ghost has done something like this. Roll with the punches, both the visible and invisible ones, I always say."

Frank nodded. "You seeing anybody at the moment?"

Nina smiled at Frank, liking the cop, but she felt it was only fair to warn him before either of them got hurt. "No, I'm not but if you're smart, and you strike me as being reasonably smart, you'll do what the majority of the guys do when they find out about my little 'talent'," she said.

"And what's that?" Frank asked.

"Run, run fast, hard, and in the opposite direction."

"That depends on who's doing the running," Frank shot back.

Nina's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"If you're doing the running, lady, consider yourself being chased," Frank said, grinning. "And when I chase somebody, I don't give up until I've run 'em down to the ground if necessary."

Nina felt her face going scarlet but she said, "My life isn't exactly quiet, not with the ghosts around."

Frank shrugged. "Quiet is boring." And with that, he walked away, grinning. "Don't forget, I know where to find you," was his parting shot over his shoulder.

Alexx grinned as Nina got in the car, and whispered to her friend, whose jaw was hanging open as she stared at Frank's retreating back, "Hope you've got running shoes in your closet. You've just been issued a challenge."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

It took Ryan and Natalia very little time to find the cross. Once they found the cross, they contacted a local antiques dealer who specialized in ancient Spanish jewelry to get the cross evaluated and maybe get a time-frame as to when the cross was made. Doing so could help them narrow down when Father Fernandez was alive. Maybe.

Once Ryan and Natalia had located the cross, they also located the case file and gave Horatio and Frank the necessary information. The two men quickly headed for the address, located in one of the poorer sectors of Miami. On the way there, Frank made a few phone calls. Horatio caught the name Nina Johnson and a licence plate number.

"Checking up on Nina?" Horatio asked mildly, trying and failing, to conceal a grin.

"Never can tell with these so-called _physics_," Franks said. "Want to make damn sure she's clean and not pulling a fast one on us."

"Ah, okay," was all Horatio said, grinning knowingly. Frank pretended to ignore him.

Instead, he wondered out loud, "What the hell are we going to tell the woman?"

"That we came across some information suggesting the cross may have been stolen and we're simply following up on it," Horatio said calmly.

"That always works," the Texan said.

They pulled up to the address, a run-down apartment complex area and proceeded to the door. The victim's wife answered the door after a few minutes.

"Officers, can I help you?" the woman, Mrs. Lorca, asked after they introduced themselves.

"I sincerely hope so, ma'am," Horatio said politely, fingering the ear-pieces of his new sunglasses. He had replaced them after they had been mysteriously broken. "Do you remember the gold cross your husband was wearing when he was killed?"

"Hard to forget," Mrs. Lorca admitted.

"Do you have any idea where it may have come from?" Horatio asked.

"I don't know. You'll have to ask my sons; they may know since they're always 'finding' stuff," Mrs. Lorca admitted.

"May we talk to them, please?" Horatio asked.

Mrs. Lorca nodded and hollered over her shoulder, "Ramirez! Santiago!"

A boy's voice called back, "Coming Mama!" A moment later, two boys, slightly scruffy-looking, appeared at the door. One appeared to be about ten, the other twelve.

"Ramirez, Santiago, these police officers want to ask you some questions," Mrs. Lorca said. "I expect you two to be honest."

"Yes mama," both boys said.

Horatio crouched down so he was at their level and said, "Do either of you know where your father may have gotten this cross?" He showed them the evidence photo he had wisely grabbed from the file. Frank let Horatio do the questioning as he had a way of coaxing information out of kids, better than he could with his own kids he admitted wryly.

The boys looked at each other and looked back at Horatio hesitantly.

"Boys," Mrs. Lorca said warningly.

"We gave it to him," the youngest boy admitted timidly.

"Okay, where did the cross come from?" Horatio asked patiently.

Again the boys looked at each other and both Frank and Horatio could hear the gears turning as they wondered just how much trouble they were in.

"It's very important that we find out where this cross came from," Horatio said.

"We gave the cross to Papa for protection and it didn't do him any good!" the oldest boy burst out angrily.

"I understand…" Horatio said, briefly looking up at their mother for their names.

"I'm Ramirez," the youngest said, "and he's Santiago."

"Okay, Santiago, Ramirez, neither of you are in any serious trouble but it's very important that we find out where the cross came from," Horatio said.

"It came from a church," Santiago admitted reluctantly.

"A church," Horatio repeated.

"A really old one!" Ramirez piped up. "We were in the basement playing 'cause it was so hot out side and well, we kinda knocked over a really old bookcase."

"Okay, then what happened?" Horatio asked.

Santiago picked up the story. "Some plaster stuff came off the wall and we saw this kinda panel on the wall. We thought it might be a secret passage so we opened it. Wasn't hard."

"What did you find?" Horatio asked.

"A box with a buncha papers and books in it," Ramirez said. "Tried reading it but looked like gibberish to us. And we found the cross."

"Okay. Where is the box now?" Horatio asked, ignoring the mother's scandalized yelp of, "You stole from a church?"

"We put it back but we kept the cross and gave it to Papa," Santiago admitted. "We thought it might protect him. Fat lot of good it did," he muttered angrily.

"Okay, would you be willing to show us where you put the box?" Horatio asked. "The contents may be very important. If you show us, I think the church may be willing to forgive you for taking the cross because you may have found something very, very important."

"Really?" Santiago asked hesitantly.

"If it helps, I'll talk to the parish of the church personally for you, explained that you tried to right your wrong by helping us," Horatio coaxed.

Both boys looked at each other before nodding in agreement.

The church the Lorca boys took them to was a very old one, so old it was listed in the National Registry of Historical Places.

Horatio and Frank found themselves talking to Father Diago, a kindly old priest who took in the situation with curiosity. Once the boys apologized for taking the cross, he willingly forgave them in the name of the Lord.

"It does not surprise me you would find a hidey-hole in these walls," Father Diago said as he lead the way to the basement. "This church has been renovated and rebuilt too many times to count since the land was originally used for a missionary site in the late 16th century."

"Sounds like a place with a lot of secrets," Frank commented.

"Most undoubtedly," Father Diago said, smiling.

"Tell me, Father, does the name Father Amadis Fernandez sound familiar to you? He may have been a Catholic priest in this area at some point," Horatio asked.

Father Diago thought for a moment then shook his head. "No, I'm sorry, the name doesn't ring a bell, and I've been here a long time. Perhaps, if you checked either the Catholic church registry or the Anglican church registry you may find him. Is he important?"

"His name popped up in an investigation," Frank fudged.

Father Diago nodded in understanding.

"Over here!" Ramirez called, dashing over to a corner of the basement that looked like it had seen better days.

"We tried to put everything back," Santiago admitted as both Horatio and Frank pulled out their flashlights. Working carefully, with the boys and Father Diago watching curiously, Frank and Horatio carefully removed the old book case from the wall and cleared away the fallen plaster. Their flashlight light fell on a piece of old wood that hadn't been put back quite the way it had originally been and Horatio was able to remove it easily. Shining his light in the hole in the wall that the board had been hiding, Horatio spotted what looked like an old wooden box with copper workings. Handing Frank his flashlight, he carefully pulled the box out, sensing he was holding something of historical value.

Placing the box on a nearby table and pulling on a pair of latex gloves, with Frank, Ramirez, Santiago, and Father Diago surrounding him, he carefully opened the box. His eyebrows shot up.

Inside the box were several books bound in leather and a wooden rosary with black beads. Horatio didn't dare touch the rosary, fearing the string holding the beads would give out the moment he did. The top book held the words "Libri of Divinus Cultus" written on the cover.

"Book of Divine Worship," Father Diago translated. "It's the Catholic Church's liturgy," he explained.

"Huh?" Ramirez asked, puzzled.

"It's sort of like an instructional guide for Catholic priests," Father Diago explained patiently. "It gives instruction on how to perform marriage rituals, funeral and last rites, baptisms, even how to dress for various occasions."

"Oh," Ramirez said, satisfied with the explanation.

"And this book is very, very old," Horatio said, having carefully opened the cover and reading the date.

Frank whistled. "1566. This thing is over four hundred years old. I'm surprised it's survived this long."

"As am I, but under ideal conditions…" Horatio pointed out.

"True," Frank admitted.

The next book Horatio took out had the words _Defero Libri_ written on the cover.

"Communion Book," Father Diago translated.

The final book bore the words _iter itineris_ on the cover.

"A journal," Father Diago said excitedly, watching as Horatio carefully opened the cover, revealing words written in ink on the fragile parchment.

_Amadis Murrieta Fernandez_

_De mayo el 8, en el año de nuestro señor 1569_

_En el nombre de nuestro señor, desempen'o servicios._

"Amadis Murrieta Fernandez. May 8th, in the year of our Lord 1569. In the name of our Lord, I serve," Father Diago translated.

"Hello Father Fernandez," Horatio muttered, staring at the journal. _Just who the hell were they dealing with?_


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: **thank you all once again for your kind reviews and I'm glad I'm keeping you all happy. Enjoy.**  
**

**Chapter 10**

As Calleigh and Eric made their way through the halls of St. Thomas University to the university's library, Calleigh whispered to Eric, "It feels weird being here."

Eric grinned at her and said, "Is that because there are priests and nuns here?" Both he and Calleigh nodded politely at a priest as they passed him. "Or because of the number of guys giving you the eye?"

And indeed there were a fair number of male students studying Calleigh with an appreciative eye. As far as Eric was concerned it was hard not to. After all, his co-worker was an attractive woman; he should know as he'd unintentionally given her his heart some time ago. Unfortunately, Calleigh had given her heart to Detective Jake Berkeley. Eric quickly quashed the surge of bitterness towards the detective that rose in him. _No_, he told himself firmly. He'd accepted Calleigh's choice and he would leave it at that. That didn't stop the dreams, especially at night.

Calleigh grinned at Eric's comment and shot back, "Like the girls aren't?" She was referring to the number of female students giving Eric appraising looks. Admittedly, Eric wasn't bad-looking with his Cuban-Russian heritage, tanned looks, and muscular body that suggested a regular work-out. She knew he ran and swam on a regular basis. _Oh Eric, _her heart whispered sadly. _I would if I could, but I'm too damn scared and Jake is, well, he's safe, for lack of better word._

Eric grinned even broader. "Way out of my age range. Besides, my sisters would kill me if I even tried it."

"Not to mention your mother," Calleigh shot back.

"True."

At the library they were quickly directed to the head librarian. Once they explained who they were and what they were after, they were directed to the school archivist. He wasn't in but his assistant, a pretty student by the name of Madeline, offered to help, especially when Eric gave her one of his heart-stopping, female-melting smiles.

"Do you have a time-frame for Father Fernandez?" Madeline asked, blushing.

Calleigh and Eric looked at each other and it was Calleigh who admitted, "Not really. We just know his name has come up in the course of an investigation and we're trying to find out who he is. All we know is he's a priest."

"Is it possible he could be Anglican? Are you sure he's Catholic?" Madeline asked.

"He's a definite Spaniard," Calleigh said. "And if I know my history right, Spain is primarily Roman Catholic, are they not?"

"Good point," Madeline conceded. "You wouldn't happen to have his full name, would you?"

Again Calleigh and Eric looked at each other. "All we know is the name Father Amadis Fernandez," Calleigh admitted.

"Damn," Madeline muttered, biting her lip. "Well, I hate to say this, but without a full name and a time-frame, the search is going to take weeks," she admitted. "There have been a lot of priests in Miami, especially since the early 1700's."

"Oh boy," Eric muttered, doing a rapid mental calculation. "That's almost three hundred years of history."

"Exactly," Madeline said.

"We're never going to be able to find this guy," Calleigh muttered to Eric.

"Not unless H. and Frank have managed to locate where the cross originally came from," Eric muttered back. Just then, as if on cue, his cell phone went off, causing the group to jump. Eric gave Madeline an apologetic smile and answered the phone. "Delko," he said.

"_Eric, we've located Father Fernandez's possessions,_" Horatio said without permeable.

"Great! Any chance of getting a time-frame?" Eric asked.

"_Yes, indeed. We've located a journal belonging to the priest and it starts in May of 1569,_" Horatio said.

"1569?" Eric repeated. He whistled low. "Do we have a full name?"

"_Amadis Murrieta Fernandez,_" Horatio said. "_According to his liturgy, he may have been ordained in 1566. According to the first entry we found in his journal, which Father Diago was kind enough to translate for us, he arrived in Miami in May of 1969 and was not happy about it but as always, and I quote, was in the service of the Lord._"

"Aren't they all? When did he die?" Eric asked.

"_The last entry for his journal is July 3__rd__, 1569. He refers to going to a meeting with the local natives, possibly a ceremony,_" Horatio said.

"Three months? I'm surprised he lived that long," Eric commented.

"_As am I, especially since the journal writings suggest a devout man very close to being a religious fanatic, almost a Jesuit._"

Eric groaned.

"_My thoughts exactly_," Horatio said, correctly interpreting Eric's groan. A religious fanatic in a hostile land like Miami amongst the local natives, the Tequesta and Calusas, who had been in the area for possibly thousands of years? So _not_ a good mix.

"Okay, thanks, H. That'll help us on our end," Eric said. "What's going to happen to the journal?"

"_It and the other books we found in the box will be turned over to a museum restorer, one who specializes in historical documents, for examination and then possibly turned over to the Catholic church for safe-keeping, unless the church decides to donate the items to a museum,_" Horatio said.

"Makes sense. Something like that would be extremely valuable," Eric said, "not to mention fragile as hell."

"_Very much so, Eric, very much so._"

The two men hung up and Eric turned to Calleigh and Madeline with a grin. "Amadis Murrieta Fernandez, arrived in Miami in May of 1569. Quite possibly never left, at least not alive and very possibly not in one piece."

Both women cringed at the implications but Madeline said, "Well, hopefully that'll make him a bit more easier to find."

"_Excuse me?_" a polite male voice with a slight accent asked.

The group turned around to see a young man look looking at them with something just shy of eagerness.

"Yes?" Calleigh asked.

"Did I hear you right when you said you were looking for Amadis Murrieta Fernandez, a Catholic priest?" the young man asked.

"Yes, you did," Eric said. "His name came up in the course of an investigation."

"And you said his journal had been found?" the young man asked.

"Why?" Calleigh asked suspiciously.

The young man blushed. "Forgive me for being nosy, but Father Fernandez was one of my ancestors," he explained.

Both Calleigh and Eric looked at each other with a raised eyebrow. _Oh yeah?_

"My name is Carlos McIlroy," the young man said, offering his hand. "I'm a student here and I've been trying to trace my family heritage."

"Calleigh Duquesne and Eric Delko, Miami-Dade Crime Lab. Forgive me for saying so, but-" Calleigh said, shaking his hand.

"I know, I know. I look Cuban but my last name is Scottish. Dad was a Scotsman when he married Mom, who's from Cuba. What can I say? I've got an interesting family background," Carlos said, grinning.

Eric grinned. "Obviously. What do you know about Father Fernandez?"

"Unfortunately not a heck of a lot," Carlos admitted. "Only what I was able to find in the archives and all that contained was when he was ordained and where he was from originally, which is a city in Spain called Valencia."

"How did he wind up in Miami?" Calleigh asked.

"I'm not sure at this point but I think it may have had something to do with Queen É lisabeth of Valois, who died on October 3rd of 1568 and was wife to Philip the Second of Spain between 1559 and 1568," Carlos said. "At least that's the family story."

"Too bad they didn't have cameras back then," Calleigh quipped.

"No, but I did find one thing just as good," Carlos said. "I found a pencil drawing of him."

Both CSI's perked up at that. "Can you e-mail us a copy? I'm really curious to see what this guy looks like," Calleigh said, giving the student her best, brightest smile. Eric grinned; he knew that smile.

_Five, four, thr-,_" he mentally counted down. He didn't even reach three when Carlos gave in and blushingly accepted Calleigh's e-mail address.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: **Sorry this seems like such a short chapter but I'm battling _that_ time of month (if you're a girl you'll know what I'm talking about) plus a nasty sinus cold so I'm not completely up to par. Thanks for reading and thanks for the kind reviews.**  
**

**Chapter 11**

It had taken a little bit but Natalia and Ryan had managed to find the gold cross. Once it had been found, along with the case file, they had called in a specialist to examine the cross and have it properly evaluated, maybe even find a maker's mark on it. While they waited for the specialist, they talked.

"So, what do you think of Nina Johnson?" Natalia asked.

"I'm not sure what to think," Ryan admitted. "Everything she said, it goes against everything I know. I don't know whether or not to believe her."

"Neither do I, especially not after what I saw when she was lifted off her feet, choked by something none of us could see, and sent flying nearly eighteen feet to the elevators," Natalia admitted. "There was nothing there that could have helped her do that, nothing real or solid. Not to mention the bruises that were forming around her neck."

"Yeah, those were definitely very real," Ryan admitted. "And then there was that business with Jessop. How could she have known that? I dunno, Nat. I just, I don't know what to think."

"If it really is a priest that's haunting us, then I'm in serious trouble," Natalia said.

"Why's that?"

She grinned and said, "I haven't gone to church in a _looooonnng _while."

Ryan chuckled. "Yeah, same problem. Life kinda caught up to me. Mind you, I've always thought I didn't have to go to church just to believe in God."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Someone once told me, long time ago, that sometimes, just having faith and trying to do the right thing every day, sometimes that was enough," he explained. "I was told you didn't have to go to church just to believe in God or to pray because God was all around you and as long as you kept trying to do the right thing, kept trying to care, to believe in hope and faith, then the whole world was your church."

Natalia nodded. "I like that. Especially since God seems to have so many different names." She smiled. "Guess it's all in the heart."

Once the specialist had arrived and settled in to examine the cross, both Ryan and Natalia resumed their own work, leaving the specialist to examine the cross in peace. That took half an hour and by the time the specialist reported back to him, the elderly man was practically drooling.

"It's a fine, fine, fine example of Spanish Colonial jewelry," the man, a Mr. Montgomery, said.

"So it is of Spanish origin?" Ryan asked.

"Oh most definitely! And the stones themselves! Definitely late sixteenth century cut!" Mr. Montgomery said. "Did you know that the early Christians believed emeralds represented immortality and faith? Some even believed it represented Christ's resurrection. Emeralds were also said to represent rebirth and fertility, bestow inner peace on the wearer, and increase the person's intelligence, especially if that person was a scholar."

Ryan and Natalia looked at each other and then at Mr. Montgomery. "So something like this could have definitely belonged to a priest?" Natalia asked.

"Most assuredly!" Mr. Montgomery said.

After promising to fax them a copy of his report and assuring him that they would let him know what they decided to do with the cross, Mr. Montgomery left. Shortly afterwards Horatio called to let them know that he and Frank had found Father Fernandez's journal and the original location of the cross. Ryan reported what Mr. Montgomery had told them about the cross.

"So it looks like we are looking at one very valuable box those kids found," Ryan concluded.

"_Indeed,_" Horatio said.

"Something like that should be turned over to a museum," Ryan said. "Or perhaps even the Catholic church."

"_Which would, in fact, probably appease Father Fernandez,_" Horatio said.

"C'mon, H. Surely you don't believe in that sort of stuff?" Ryan asked.

"_At this point, unless the evidence tells me otherwise, I'm willing to go along with it,_" Horatio said.

"And if the evidence does suggest otherwise?"

"_Then Nina has a lot of explaining to do._"


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: **had a little fun with this one, especially with Frank and Nina.**  
**

** Chapter 12**

She wore an ankle-length sleeveless ballroom dress, the kind with great big fluffy feathers on the bottom hem. The dress, made of a satin material that started out a deep pink on the bottom and faded to a pale pink near the top, had a sweetheart neckline and a deep V in the back, leaving her back mostly bare. Silver-coloured sequins artfully decorated the bodice, shoulder, and back area, and she wore matching dance shoes. A large pale pink chiffon scarf was attached to both wrists and back and flowed with her as she moved to the music.

_I wanna wake up each morning  
With you for the rest of my life  
I wanna feel your heart beating  
And just get lost in your eyes  
You can tell me your secrets  
You can let me feel your pain  
You can show me your weakness  
And never be ashamed_

_Hold on to me when your world's turnin' cold  
When it feels like your life's spinnin' out of control  
You're hopin', prayin', tryin' so hard to believe  
Hold on to me when there's no middle ground  
And every emotion is comin' unwound  
And you don't know if you can hold on to your dreams  
Baby you can hold on to me_

Her dancing companion wore a formal black tuxedo with tailcoat jacket, silver vest, black tie, and white shirt with black patent shoes. He looked every bit the elegant gentleman and she spotted his top hat, cane, and white gloves nearby.

The garden was beautiful and the full moon was positively magical. Indeed, it felt magical.

_I wanna lay down each evenin'  
With you right here by my side  
I wanna get drunk on your laughter  
And wipe all the tears when you cry  
You can scare me with your darkness  
You can blind me with your light  
Throw your worries out the window baby  
On your wildest night_

_Hold on to me when your world's turnin' cold  
When it feels like your life's spinnin' out of control  
You're hopin', prayin', tryin' so hard to believe  
Hold on to me when there's no middle ground  
And every emotion is comin' unwound  
And you don't know if you can hold on to your dreams  
Baby you can hold on to me_

Nina only had one little question about the whole thing; why the _hell_ was she dancing with _Frank Tripp_ to John Michael Montgomery's _Hold On To Me_?

A soft male voice chuckled.

"It's a dream, Nina," the voice said.

Nina's head snapped around and spotted her deceased brother-in-law, Gregg, lounging against a nearby palm tree. He looked healthy and reasonably happy.

"Some dream!" she shot back. "What are you doing here?"

He didn't answer, just nodded towards Frank, who was looking at her with unmasked adoration, something she was _sure_ the cop would never look at her with in reality. "He's a good one, Nina. Give him time to get used to the idea that ghosts do exist but he won't hurt you, not like my brother did."

"And if things don't work out?"

"Then enjoy the dance for what it is; a good time."

_Hold on to me when there's no middle ground  
And every emotion is comin' unwound  
And you don't know if you can hold on to your dreams  
Baby you can hold on I said  
Baby you can hold on I said  
Baby you can hold on to me_

Frank was feeling pretty pleased with himself. His background check of Nina hadn't turned up anything suspicious, not even a parking ticket. They'd managed to locate the weirdo priest, Father Fernandez, along with some very priceless artefacts and Nina had just called him back and accepted his invitation to coffee. Yeah, he was having a good day.

He was straightening his jacket and tie, preparing to meet Nina outside as per their arrangement when he spotted her. Then his eyebrows shot up. Nina appeared to be talking to someone he couldn't see. _Okay,_ he thought. _Another ghost? Or the same one she claims is haunting the Crime Lab?_ he wondered.

Nina had been heading for the stairs of the Crime Lab when something caught her attention. It was the priest, Father Fernandez, and he looked as ill-tempered now as he had before.

_Oh gawd, not again and not now,_ she whimpered mentally. _All I really want is to have a nice cup of coffee with a nice, polite police officer. I do _not _want to be tangling with this guy again, especially since I know practically next-to-nothing in Spanish!_

Father Fernandez yelled something in Spanish, shaking a fist at her. Nina wasn't sure but it sounded an awfully lot like a threat and she took it to mean that. That got her temper up._Enough._

"You threatening me again, knuckle-brain? Especially since I've made it clear I'm trying to help you?" she snapped. "I've told you, I don't speak Spanish! You want my help, try speaking English for a change!"

He glared at her, radiating righteous anger. He lifted both hands up, palm out.

And the building windows exploded.

When Frank heard Nina scream and saw her crouch down, arms over her head as if she was trying to shelter herself from something, his concern shot up. He hustled his butt over to her and knelt down next to her.

"Nina? Nina, are you okay?" he demanded, ignoring the looks from passer-by's.

"Wha-? Frank? What the?" Nina looked up, clearly confused. She looked at the building, her look of confusion growing. "I swear I thought…. _you sonovabitch,_" she muttered.

"You thought what?" Frank asked, confused as he and Nina straightened out. He spared an approving glance at her long bare legs peeking out from under her pretty sleeveless tropical print sundress.

"I thought all the glass on the building had exploded, courtesy of Father Fernandez," Nina admitted.

Puzzled, Frank looked at the Crime Lab; all the glass panes were intact. "Doesn't look like they did," he said. "Father Fernandez, you said?"

"Yeah. Jackass yelled something at me in Spanish, raised his hands, and the glass exploded. Or at least I thought it did," Nina explained. "Frackin' priest," she muttered, glaring at the spot where Father Fernandez had been standing and feeling like an idiot. "I am really starting to _not_ like this guy."

"He doesn't sound like a cheerful person," Frank said, not sure what else to say.

She smiled ruefully. "Having second thoughts about that coffee?"

Frank grinned back. "Not a chance, lady. This whole ghost thing may take some getting used to, but be patient; I'm not as young as I used to be."

"Pfft, could've fooled me," she sassed. "Mind you, that's kind of hard to tell, since you don't have any hair on your head for me to see if you're going grey or not."

She didn't manage to avoid his grab and shrieked when he hauled her back against his chest, wiggling, squirming, and giggling.

"I may be a tough old cop and a gentleman in public, sweetheart, but give me half an hour alone with you and I'll prove to you I may be old but what I could do to you would leave you blushing long afterwards," he whispered before letting her go.

"Is that a challenge?" she whispered back, feeling a thrill she hadn't felt since her marriage turned sour.

"Take it any which way you want, sweetheart, but ghosts or not, you've been warned," he whispered before abruptly letting her go. "Coffee time," he said, acting as if nothing had just happened.

Struggling to regain her balance, both mentally and physically, Nina quipped, "Is it true that cops live on coffee?"

"Believe it, sweetheart," Frank shot back, grinning.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Nina studied the painting of a kind-looking nun on the walls of The Archbishop Edward A. McCarthy Pastoral Center in the main greeting room. The nun wore a black habit and had small, gold-framed glasses perched on a tiny nose. Nina decided she looked kind but probably had a firm hand in things when she was alive.

She had elected to stay in the main room while Horatio, the Lorca family, Carlos McIlroy, Father Diago, and a member of the Historical Museum of Southern Florida talked to the Archbishop of Miami and turned over the precious box containing Father Fernandez's effects.

At the Pastoral Center, located on Biscayne Boulevard in Miami Shores, their group had been greeted by Father McCarthy, a long-time member of the Catholic Church. Once the artefacts in the box and the cross had been verified as being genuine, the next question had been what to do with them in a way that would keep them safe and appease Father Diago. Without being told about Father Fernandez's ghost, it had been Father Diago's suggestion that they contact the Pastoral Center and turn over the artefacts to them. Father McCarthy was Father Diago's contact at the Center and he had greeted the news of the find with a great deal of enthusiasm and wonder.

Now they were at the Center to formally turn the artefacts over to the Church. Nina had gone with them to make sure Father Fernandez followed them, if he chose to, and to deal with him accordingly. So far he hadn't shown up and Nina was beginning to wonder if he was going to. She had declined to join the group as she wasn't comfortable around that sort of thing, especially since the Church tended to take a dim view of ghosts and those who saw them. Understanding this, Horatio had excused her presence as a friend who had assisted in the search for Father Fernandez. That was true, sort of. Thankfully neither Father Diago or McCarthy asked too many questions about that.

"Why they insisted on hanging a portrait of me here, I'll never know," a woman's voice said.

Nina smiled and looked slightly to her left. Standing there, staring at the portrait with a look of slight disgust, was the woman in the portrait.

"Hello, Mother Superior," Nina said quietly but politely. "You must admit, it's not a bad painting."

The nun huffed slightly. "Well, at least they got my name right."

Nina grinned even broader as she read the engraving on the bottom of the painting. _Mother Superior Diana Judith Columbia. August 4__th__ 1916 - September 23__rd__ 1998. Entered the Service of Our Lord, Sisters of Mary, 1928._

"Wow, you were a nun for a long time," Nina commented, keeping her voice down. She didn't want anyone knowing she was talking to a ghost or she might get some seriously funny looks. Last thing she needed was that happening in a Pastoral Center, of all places.

"Sixty-six years, my dear, all in the Service of the Lord. I entered when I was sixteen," Mother Superior said.

An idea came to Nina. "Any chance you speak Spanish?"

"Well enough to be understood," Mother Superior said.

"Could I get your help on one tiny thing?" Nina asked. The nun nodded.

"That box of stuff that came in, it belongs to Father Fernandez, a Catholic priest back in the mid-1500's. He woke up when the Lorca boys gave his cross to their father, who was killed shortly afterwards. Normally I'd love to help him move on but he speaks only Spanish, which I don't," Nina explained. "Because he's really old-school, I don't think he understands what's going on or just how much time has passed."

"And you think I might be able to get through to him," Mother Superior said, guessing correctly.

"He might listen to you, since the last time I tried to speak to him, he made me think he'd managed to blow all the glass back at the Miami-Dade Crime Lab," Nina explained. "Not to mention throwing me across a room and trying to choke me."

"Oh dear."

"Yeah. I want to help him but…" Nina said.

"He's sort of out of your area of expertise," the nun said, nodding in understanding. Nina nodded. "No promises, my dear, but I'll do what I can." She smiled.

"Anything I can do for you?"

Mother Superior smiled and said, "Thank you for offering, but no. I'm quite content where I am. I'll move on when I'm ready. Besides, to be honest, I sort of enjoy keeping an eye on things the way I can."

Nina smiled. "I'll just bet. Keeps the guys around here on their toes probably."

"And then some, child, and then some." The nun gave her a mischievous grin before something caught both their attention. "Ah, that must be your Father Fernandez."

Nina looked at the priest apprehensively and nodded. "Yeah. I was wondering if he was going to show up."

"Don't worry; I'll take care of him." And with that, Mother Superior walked over to him and said something to him in Spanish. He responded in kind. Mother Superior looked back at Nina and said, "Anything you want me to tell him?"

"Just that his possessions, along with the cross, have been turned over to the Catholic church, where they'll be looked after and are being highly prized. He should consider moving on in to the light now that his cross has been returned to him, so to speak," Nina said.

Mother Superior nodded and turned back to the priest. She spoke to him and as she did, Father Fernandez's face began to light up. He smiled and Mother Superior said something else to him, which caused him to look at Nina with new respect and then bow politely towards her. Then he looked at something she couldn't see and, with what seemed like encouragement from Mother Superior, began to walk towards it with an eagerness in his step. A moment later he faded from view. Nina knew he'd moved on in to the light and the Crime Lab was no longer haunted.

"I owe you one, Mother," Nina said.

"Don't worry about it, child. He was a lost soul who simply needed a bit of help finding the light again," Mother Superior said. She smiled and walked away before fading away.

"Talking to somebody?" Frank's gentle voice whispered in her ear, causing her to jump. She spun around and nearly landed in Frank's arms.

"You know, it's bad enough I've got ghosts scaring the hell out of me, I don't need you doing that!" she hissed but smiling to take the sting out of her comment.

"Sorry," Frank said, not looking the slightest bit sorry. "Anyway?"

"Mother Superior. Nice lady," Nina explained, indicating the portrait. "She helped me deal with Father Fernandez. He's moved on into the light and won't be haunting the lab any more."

"Good to hear."

"How come you're here?"

He shrugged. "Horatio mentioned you'd be here and things are a bit slow right now, so I figured I'd come catch you, maybe keep you company."

She nodded. She had really enjoyed their previous coffee date, spending nearly an hour and a half with the man. It had turned out they had more in common than she'd initially thought. Both were divorcees, both had marriages that had gone sour near the end, loved taking things easy and had little tolerance for idiots. They shared similar tastes in movies and music and both hated cooking but did so out of necessity. It was either cook or starve. Such as it was, Nina had agreed to join Frank for a movie night at his place in the near future and Nina quietly suspected that the movie night might include a little something else.

"Want to walk in the garden while we wait for the group?" Nina offered.

"Sure."

As they walked through the Center's garden, Nina spotted what looked like a statue of the Virgin Mary holding an infant Jesus in her arms. She went quiet as memories surfaced and Frank noticed.

"You okay?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah, just old memories." She smiled sadly, and shrugged, trying to shake the sadness off.

Frank studied the statue for a moment and then said, "You know, I've told you about my kids but you never mentioned if you had any. Do you?"

"I did," Nina admitted, feeling a familiar wrench in her heart. "I had a son, Peter."

"Where is he now?" he asked gently, seeing the pain in her eyes.

"The other side," she said softly.

Frank lead her to a bench and they sat down. "What happened?" he asked, putting an arm around her and feeling a surge of something when she snuggled closer to him and laid her head on his shoulder.

"Ten years old. Went out with a bunch of his friends one day and never came home," Nina explained, eyes haunted with memories. "I knew he was dead even before the police came to my door to tell me." She shuddered and he held her tighter. "I later found out that he'd been skate-boarding at a park and was on his way back when a drunk driver hit him and another friend of his while they were crossing the street. They had the right of way but the driver claimed he hadn't seen either of them. Peter's friend, Aaron, survived only because Peter had seen the truck coming and managed to shove his friend out of the way in time. Peter died on impact."

"Damn," Frank whispered, feeling his heart ache for her.

"Getting Peter to cross over was the hardest thing I ever had to do."

"I'll bet."

"My husband, Kenny, he didn't want me to help Peter cross over. He wanted Peter to stay but he couldn't. Peter knew what had happened; he understood. Once he knew Aaron would be okay, he left. Kenny blamed me and it was shortly after that our marriage started seriously deteriorating."

"He wasn't there when you needed him the most," he realized, deciding he definitely didn't like Nina's ex-husband.

"Yeah. I tried, Frank, I tried damn hard, but Kenny blamed me for the fact that Peter had crossed over, instead of staying, the way he wanted him to." Nina smiled sadly and said, "It didn't help that Kenny didn't know that Peter was starting to show signs of having my gift and I was teaching him about it."

"Damn," he said. "That would've been one special kid."

"He was my son and that made him special enough."

"Spoken like a true parent."

She smiled. "I miss him. I miss him badly and I miss him every day but I try and tell myself that he's in a better place and I'll see him again when it's my time."

He nodded. "Doesn't stop the hurt, does it?"

"No, but it makes it a bit easier to bear."

"Too bad you had to bear it alone."

"Story of my life." She shrugged.

"Doesn't always have to be that way."

She studied him. "No, it doesn't. Just takes someone special enough and man enough to be willing to hang around a woman most people would call crazy."

"If you're crazy, sweetheart, then I'm not that far off, especially with my line of work."

That was where Horatio found them a few minutes later. Before he made his presence known, he studied the pair and smiled to himself. Nina might be slightly unusual, especially with her little talent, but maybe, just maybe, she might be the one to help heal the tough old cop's broken heart. After all, Horatio had been there when Frank's world and marriage had come crashing down after learning that a victim of a shooting-shark attack had been hired by his now ex-wife through a private-investigation company to see if he was cheating on her.

_She's different, but perhaps, just perhaps, she's special enough to help Frank learn to care again,_ Horatio thought, watching the pair discreetly.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: **sorry for the delay but life sort of caught up to me. Hope this grabs your attention as I attempt to help Johnny find some peace.**  
**

**Chapter 14**

"Are you serious?" Frank asked incredulously.

"Frank, I'm a full-time college teacher. And when I'm not chasing after my students on the stage, I'm chasing after ghosts, remember? These days I don't get a lot of uninterrupted time," Nina pointed out as she filched some popcorn from the bowl on the coffee table. "Besides, watching a movie alone is boring. Much more fun when you're with someone," she pointed out.

"True," he conceded. "I still can't believe you haven't seen _Die Hard 4_."

"Been meaning to add it to my collection after I've had a chance to rent it and see if it's even worth keeping."

"Trust me, it is," he said. "Okay, _Die Hard 4 _it is." He popped the disk out of its holder from the case and placed it in the DVD player then joined Nina on the couch.

They were at his place and attempting to enjoy a movie night. Nina had just confessed she'd never seen the latest in the Bruce Willis _Die Hard _series even though she'd seen the previous three. Frank had the night off (he hoped) and Nina didn't have any student work that she needed to go over any time soon. She also privately hoped no ghosts popped in as she was kinda, sorta hoping to get it on with Frank. On their last coffee date Frank had kissed her and while it had definitely been bone-melting, she was hoping things might go a little further this time. Not all the way to the bedroom mind you, not yet, but Nina's appetite was perfectly healthy and she was hungry, for lack of better description.

The movie was as good as Frank promised but then again she was a bit side-tracked as Frank's hands had found their way to the back of her neck and one thing had lead to another. Not that she was complaining and it looked like Frank wasn't either.

Then Nina felt _it._ And she started swearing. And then Frank's cellphone went off. And he started swearing.

"Okay, tell you what. We both do what needs to be done without any murder or mayhem and then we get back to the business at hand. What say?" she said, scowling even as her lips were tingling from Frank's kisses.

"Agreed."

Both sat up and while Frank reached for his phone, Nina gestured towards the ghost and headed for Frank's kitchen.

"One night, that's all I asked for; just one lousy night that's ghost-free," she muttered under her breath. She turned on the ghost, who had the look of someone stoned on something. "What can I do for you?" she asked.

"Umm, dude, I think I've lost my crack pipe. You seen it 'round?"

Nina's jaw dropped. "You know you're dead, right?"

"Uh, I am?"

"Yes, you are. Trust me, you are."

"Oh." Then, "I can't find my crack pipe."

"Why the hell do you need your crack pipe for? You won't need it where you're going. You're dead!" Nina yelped in frustration.

"I'm dead?" the ghost asked again, a look of puzzlement coming across his face.

"Duh!" she snapped. "Why do you think I can see you and no one else can? For that matter, why are you in an apartment that sure as hell does _not_ belong to you, not to mention the fact that you didn't exactly_knock_ when you came in!"

It took the ghost a moment to process what she had just said. And then when he finally did, all he said was, "Oh." If he wasn't already dead, Nina would have seriously tried killing him.

"Look, trust me when I say you really won't need your crack pipe in the light," Nina said, struggling to hold on to her temper.

"But how do I get there?" the ghost asked.

"Think happy thoughts!" she snapped.

"Happy thoughts?" Then, "Ohhhh! Right on, man! Cool!" And the ghost was gone.

Nina stalked back in to the living room muttering under her breath about crack-head ghosts as she joined Frank on the couch again and snuggled against him.

"Problems?" he asked.

"Not any more. You?"

"Just some idiot cop that decided to inform me he'd just busted one of my snitches for a traffic violation."

Nina groaned. "Too bad murder is a bad thing no matter who you do it to."

"Yeah. Tell you what; how about we forget about ghosts and idiots and focus on something a bit more enjoyable?"

"Sounds good to me. Get over here."

When Nina finally got home, it was late. She didn't even bother turning on the lights as she dropped her purse and keys on the hallway table but she didn't need the light to see there was someone sitting on her couch. Her senses told her it was a ghost.

"Well, at least you waited until I got home," she said, flicking on a hallway light switch.

The dark-skinned male snickered. "After the way you tore in to that crack-head? Figured I'd wait here and stay out of your action."

"Thanks. How's it going, Johnny?" she asked, coming around to where the ghost was sitting.

Her former student sighed heavily. "I'm starting to remember things, Teach, and it ain't good."

"That bad, huh?"

"Yeah. Think your cop friend can help?"

"I can talk to him, but it depends on what you tell me."

"In that case, start taking notes."


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: **thanks for your kind patience and the reviews. I've been trying to write and type as fast as I can but due to lack of time these days, time is something I've been a bit short of, lol. Anyway, thanks again and hope you like this one.**  
**

**Chapter 15**

Nina stared at the plain apartment building and asked, "Are you sure?"

Johnny nodded. "Yeah. I'm damn sure Lyta knows something. I've been watching her and she's scared. Something scared her."

"Anything I need to know?"

"Dan-o', my roommate, he was knockin' her around pretty good. I came to her defense one night, in front of some of his buddies, and I don't think he liked that," Johnny admitted.

"Damn. Okay, lets see what we can do."

Two nights ago Johnny had shown up in Nina's house. He'd been dead for about a week but due to the violence of his death, had been confused and lost. She had been patient, encouraging him to look around and try and remember. Two nights ago he had come to her with information.

He had been beaten to death but was still fuzzy on the details of that. He did remember that the last person he'd talked to had been Lyta and that she had wanted to meet with him to tell him something important. What, he didn't know and she didn't say.

So now Nina was at Lyta's apartment to try and find out just what it was that the girl had wanted to talk to Johnny about.

Nina rang the buzzer for Lyta's apartment.

"Hello?" came a staticy female voice.

"Lyta Clayton?" Nina asked.

"Who wants to know?"

"My name is Nina Johnson. I want to talk to you about Johnny Dawson. I'm his Theater Arts teacher," Nina said.

There was silence on the other end and Nina said coaxingly, "Look, Lyta, I'm not here to hurt you. I know you were the last person to talk to Johnny. You wanted to meet him and tell him something important, but Johnny never showed and I think you know why."

"Offer to help her," Johnny suggested.

"If I can help you, Lyta, I will. Johnny was a good guy and I know he genuinely cared about you," Nina said.

A moment later the door buzzed. Nina opened the door and headed, with Johnny, to Lyta's apartment. After a knock, the door opened and a pretty girl with dusky-colored skin and black hair braided in cornrows peered out from behind a chain-lock.

"Lyta? I'm Nina. May I come in?"

Lyta nodded, closed the door enough to remove the lock, and then opened it wider to allow Nina in. Then she shut and re-locked the door before turning to Nina and folding her arms across her chest.

"Are you okay?" Nina asked, spotting a darkening bruise on Lyta's face. Behind her, she heard Johnny swear.

"I'm fine. You said you wanted to talk about Johnny," Lyta said, shrugging off Nina's concern.

"Yes. You were the last person to talk to Johnny," Nina said. "What did you want to talk about that was so important you couldn't tell him over the phone?"

"Why do you want to know?" Lyta asked suspiciously. "You said you're Johnny's teacher, so why do you care?"

"Because Johnny's been missing for over a week, Lyta, and I have a very bad feeling that says he's dead, possibly murdered."

Lyta gulped heavily. Nina felt sorry for the girl but decided to play a card.

"Look, you can either talk to me or you can talk to the cops. Compared to them, especially one fellow in particular I'm thinking of, I'm a bit nicer and a bit more patient," she said. "I want to help you but I need you to help me find Johnny."

Lyta bit her lip.

"She's thinking hard," Johnny said.

"Do the cops know Johnny's missing?" Lyta asked.

"Not yet, but I do have enough evidence to prove that something's wrong," Nina fudged. Her 'evidence' was Johnny.

Lyta nodded, still biting her lip.

"Tell her about Dan-o'," Johnny suggested.

"I know you're having problems with Dan-o'. He's Johnny's roommate and your boyfriend, isn't he?" Nina asked. Lyta nodded reluctantly. "Let me ask you something; what kind of guy uses his girl as a punching bag?"

Lyta froze. "He didn't, Dan-o' doesn't," she stammered.

"Dan-o' doesn't mean it? He didn't hurt you that bad?" Nina guessed. "Sweetie, guys like Dan-o' know one thing and one thing only; control through fear." She watched as Lyta hung her head in shame. "Johnny defended you one night when Dan-o' went after you again."

Lyta nodded. "He was so sweet, so kind and gentle," she admitted.

"I thought she was beautiful and couldn't understand why she stayed with an ass like Dan-o'," Johnny admitted.

"He thought you were beautiful and couldn't understand why you stayed with a jerk like Dan-o'," Nina repeated.

"I was afraid," Lyta admitted. "I still am."

"Do you need protection?"

"Can you protect me from a gang member like Dan-o', who's threatened to kill me if I ever leave him?"

"Yes. I have a contact within the MDPD who can pull a few strings if need be," Nina said.

Lyta nodded. "I wanted to tell Johnny that I'm pregnant with his baby," she admitted.

Nina felt her jaw drop even as she heard Johnny yelp, "_What!_"

"Are you sure?" Nina asked carefully.

Lyta nodded, folding her arms across her stomach in a protective gesture. "We slept together one night, right after Johnny defended me. Dan-o' usually used a condom and I usually remembered, but for some reason with Johnny I forgot," she said. "Got caught up in the moment, I guess." Nina nodded and let the girl continue. "I know it's Johnny's baby 'cause I've only had sex with Dan-o' once recently and we used a condom. Dan-o' doesn't know and if he finds out, he'll kill me."

"Like he may have done with Johnny?" Nina asked.

Lyta looked at Nina with frightened eyes. "Do you think he did?"

"Nina? Do you think Dan-o' killed me?" Johnny asked.

"I don't know, but as a teacher of teenagers, I've learned to develop a suspicious mind, and Dan-o', lets just say I don't trust him," Nina said, answering both Lyta and Johnny. "If he's knocking you around, I wouldn't put it past him to go after Johnny."

"If he finds out about me and Johnny, he'll kill me," Lyta whimpered fearfully.

"Not if I can help it," Johnny said determinedly.

"Not if I can help it," Nina said. "I need access to Johnny's apartment. He said he had something for me he wanted me to have a look at."

"Do you know what it was?" Lyta asked curiously.

"It was a play I wrote about Lyta and me," Johnny admitted. "I was hoping to show it to you and see about getting it produced."

"I think it may have been a play he was working on," Nina said.

Lyta nodded. "That sounds like Johnny. He had the soul of a poet, a real way with words."

Nina smiled even as Johnny blushed. "How about if I talk to my friend at MDPD, if you're willing to tell him about what you've just told me?" she asked. "Tell him about the abuse and Dan-o's temper, and how Johnny defended you."

"Can he protect me?" Lyta asked.

"I think so. He's a good, fair cop."

"And you're bangin' him so you should know," Johnny sniggered.

Nina barely restrained herself from glaring at the ghost, who had taken up a position near Lyta's shoulder. Instead, she reached into her bag, pulled out her notepad and pen, wrote down her cell number and work number, as well as her home address, and handed the paper to Lyta.

"This is my cell, work, and home address. You need any help or need someone to talk to, this is where you can find me," she explained. "I'm known for taking calls at 3a.m. in the morning so call me any time you need to."

"Are you sure?" Lyta asked, clutching the paper like a life-line.

"Very. You strike me as a good person, Lyta, and I know Johnny cared about you," Nina said firmly. "We'll find out what happened to Johnny and where he is now, one way or another."


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: **once again, thanks for your patience and kind reviews. I'm trying to get in as much as I can before I have to head up north for a few days.

**Chapter 16**

A day later Lyta contacted Nina. Without saying a word, she handed Nina a set of keys.

"This'll get you inside his apartment, but after that, you're on your own," Lyta said.

"Why are you doing this?" Nina asked, fingering the keys.

She shrugged and said, "I think Johnny's dead and if Dan-o' really did kill him, I want to do right by him. He tried to do right by me and I think he would have done right by our baby."

"More than likely," Nina said.

"But if you tell Dan-o' where I got the keys-" Lyta cautioned.

"Don't worry, he's not going to be told a damn thing," Nina said. "I don't plan on going there alone."

Lyta nodded.

Now Nina, Frank, and Horatio were standing in the underground parking of Johnny's apartment. One of the last things Johnny remembered was heading to his car to go meet Lyta so the logical choice was to see if they could locate his car.

It had taken little convincing on Nina's part to get the two men to come with her, especially once she mentioned she'd spoken to Lyta and told them what Lyta had told her. She had also mentioned Lyta's pregnancy, how that had happened and her suspicions about Dan-o'. Both men had come to the same conclusion as her; if Dan-o' was capable of beating his girlfriend, he was more than capable of possibly beating a man to death.

"It's not here," Johnny said, looking around in confusion.

"Johnny's car isn't here," Nina said.

"Where was it normally parked?" Horatio said. He had his field kit with him as a precaution. If the parking lot was indeed the last place Johnny had been, there might be some trace evidence left, even after all this time.

Nina directed them to a parking spot and both Frank and Horatio took out their maglites, looking around to see if they could spot anything of interest. It was Nina who spotted something on one of the concrete parking curbs.

She pointed it out to the men and said, "What the heck is that?"

Horatio shone his light on it and said, "That, Nina, is brain matter."

Behind her, Johnny gulped. "So that's why my head hurt so much at first. I had my brains bashed out."

Horatio got out a pair of orange-colored glasses and a blue light and began sweeping the ground and walls carefully. It only took him a moment to find what he was looking for; blood, and a lot of it. He handed Frank and Nina a pair of the same glasses and they both studied the blood pool that was revealed under the light.

"I'm no doctor or a crime scene investigator, but even I know that's way too much blood," Nina said.

"Someone died here," Frank said.

"And someone tried to hide the body," Horatio said. "These marks lead to the parking spot where Johnny's car should have been."

"What are the chances Johnny's car is history?" Frank said.

"I'd say very good," Horatio said. "However, to be sure, we will send a sample to DNA to confirm that it is Johnny. Unfortunately, we will need a reference sample."

"That can be provided," Nina said, handing Horatio back the glasses. "I have the keys to his apartment."

"How did you come across the keys?" Frank asked, also returning the glasses and watching as Horatio took several samples of the blood pools and brain matter to be taken back to the lab for testing.

"Lyta," Nina said. "Don't forget, Dan-o' is technically her boyfriend so it makes sense she would have a copy of the keys. Not her fault that Johnny just happens to be Dan-o's roommate."

"Good point," Frank said.

As the group headed for the apartment building, Nina cocked her head. "Can you hear that?" she asked.

"Hear what?" Frank asked.

"The music," Nina said. "Listen closely."

Both Horatio and Frank strained to hear what it was that Nina was hearing. It was faint, very faint, but yes, they could hear music.

"Some kind of pop music?" Frank asked.

"_I'll be loving you forever  
Just as long as you want me to be  
I'll be loving you forever  
All this love's for you and me, yeah_" Nina recited.

"Doesn't sound like any thing I recognize," Horatio admitted.

Johnny smiled. "New Kids on the Block, _I'll Be Loving You (Forever),_" he said. "I was listening to it on the way to my car."

"Sounds like New Kids on the Block, _I'll Be Loving You (Forever_)," Nina said. She had not told either of the guys that Johnny was with them, mainly to try and make sure they weren't influenced by anything and if things went to court, then everything that was said and done was not going to raise any eyebrows. Somehow, though, Frank seemed to put two and two together and come up with four.

"Let me ask you something before we go any further," Frank said. "Is Johnny around?"

Nina gave him and Horatio a sheepish look and nodded. "I got the keys legitimately from Lyta, so don't worry about that, okay? Johnny said that the song we just heard was one he was listening to on the way to his car, before he died. He also lead me to Lyta, because she was the last person he spoke to before she died," she said.

"Okay, why didn't you say something sooner?" Horatio asked.

"Because what if all this goes to court? The jury is going to have a hell of a time believing that everything you know is based on the words of a _ghost_," Nina said. "Not to mention the judge would probably laugh you out of court and the D.A. would probably do the same. No, anything that's found or heard has to be able to stand up in a court of law and I'm afraid ghosts and those who see 'em, we don't exactly qualify."

"And if Johnny offers any insight in to this whole thing?" Horatio asked.

"Then I'll try and phrase what I'm being told as if it were insight, or something we already knew or something that would be a bit obvious," Nina said. "Not the first time I've had to do that."

Frank looked at Nina with new appreciation. She was clearly thinking several steps ahead of them, especially in regards to Johnny and her talent.

Both men had to concede she did have a point, however. Anything they found or did would have to stand up in a court of law if they were to nail the suspect.

"How do you explain having Johnny's keys without letting Dan-o' know his girlfriend gave them to you?" Frank asked.

"I gave you a back-up set, just in case, 'cause I've got a bad habit of accidentally losing my keys," Johnny suggested. "Which isn't too far from the truth," he admitted sheepishly. "Mama always said I'd lose my head if it wasn't firmly attached to my neck."

"He gave me a back-up set just in case, because he's got a bad habit of accidentally losing his keys," Nina said.

"Is it believable?" Horatio asked.

"Considering his mom apparently once told him he'd lose his head if it wasn't attached to his neck, I'd say so," Nina said.

"Good enough for me," Horatio said. "Okay, we go in, but all we are after is a reference sample to which we can compare the blood found in the parking garage."

"And if Dan-o' shows up?" Nina asked.

"Then we are investigating a possible homicide and Johnny may be a possible victim," Horatio said.

"I'll keep a look-out and warn you if Dan-o's coming," Johnny offered. Nina nodded.

"We've got a look-out in the form of a ghost," she explained.

"That's handy," Frank said.

"Oh, I love it when they do that," Nina said, grinning. "My favourite part is when they unlock a door for me."

"Should you be telling us this?" Frank asked suspiciously.

"Would anybody believe you otherwise?" Nina asked sweetly.

"Good point. Who would believe that you were able to get inside a building because someone, namely a dead someone, unlocked the door for you?" Frank said. "You'd be asking for a one-way trip to the funny farm."

"Some days I think I'm already there," Nina muttered.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N:** hope this chapter tides you all over for a bit. My eagerly-awaited nephew finally showed up on March 2nd and I need to head up north to Grande Prairie for a few days to see him and help my sister. I will try and have a new chapter written and ready when I get back, hopefully by Sunday at the latest. Once again, thank you all kindly for your reviews.**  
**

**Chapter 17**

"Any idea where Dan-o' is?" Frank asked as he, Horatio, and Nina approached Johnny's apartment.

Nina threw Johnny a look and he nodded. He vanished for a moment then reappeared.

"Not in the apartment, that's for sure," Johnny said.

"Dan-o' isn't in the apartment, which is better that way," Nina said.

"Johnny?" Horatio asked.

"He just checked and confirmed," Nina said. "I don't want trouble and from all accounts, Dan-o' is trouble. To make things more difficult, he doesn't like cops."

"Nice guy," Frank said, watching as Nina took out a set of keys, selected one, inserted it into the lock of apartment 407, and unlocked the door.

"Aren't they all?" Horatio quipped as they entered the apartment. He wrinkled his nose as a familiar-but-unpleasant scent assailed his nose; beer. Someone had really been knocking the stuff back lately as evident by the amount of empty beer cans scattered about.

"Dan-o' hasn't thrown any of my stuff out yet," Johnny said. "Guess he's trying to make it look like I'm still alive."

"Johnny, we don't know if it was Dan-o' who killed you," Nina cautioned the ghost. "I may not trust him or like him for abusing Lyta, but until you can remember what happened when you died, aside from being beaten to death, it's not safe to make assumptions." Johnny nodded. "Where's your room?" she asked.

"Door with the dragon on it," Johnny said. "My comb is in there. Will that do for DNA?"

"We'll find out," Nina said, moving down the hallway to the room. "In the mean time, you're on guard duty. I want at least a two-to-five minute warning if Dan-o' shows up."

"Done and done," Johnny said before he vanished.

Nina explained to the two men. "Johnny said this was his room and he has a comb in there. He's on guard duty at the moment."

"Okay," Horatio said. He gloved up and cautiously opened the dragon-poster covered door.

The room was trashed, to say the least. It looked like someone had been searching for something and not been able to find it.

"Someone was pissed off," Frank noted.

Nina just stared, her eyes wide.

_Understandable_, Frank thought, watching as Horatio set his field kit down and began to carefully pick his way through the room. _The room looks like it's been hit by a bomb._

"Is there anything in here you can clearly identify as belonging to Johnny?" Horatio asked.

Nina looked around and spotted a photo on the floor. She pointed to it. "Guy on the left in the red hat, that's Johnny. Not sure who the other guy is but the girl is Lyta."

Horatio bagged the photo. He also bagged a comb that had hair in the teeth and an empty pop can.

Just then Johnny suddenly appeared. "We got trouble," he said.

"Dan-o's back?" Nina asked.

"Not only that, but he's drunk," Johnny said.

"Uh-oh," Nina said. She had already caught Frank and Horatio's attention but when she said "Uh-oh," their attention sharpened.

"Trouble?" Horatio asked, gathering up his gear.

"Yeah, Dan-o's back and he's drunk," Nina said, already moving towards the door.

"Damn," Frank said. "Let me guess; he's bad enough when sober but worse when drunk."

Johnny nodded. So did Nina. "I once saw him put a guy in hospital 'cause the guy looked at him the wrong way when he was drunk," Johnny said. Nina repeated it as she and the men left the apartment.

"Stall him," she told Johnny. "Just long enough for us to get out of sight."

"Yes, ma'am," Johnny said, vanishing.

Nina quickly locked the apartment door and all three hustled down the hallway.

"This way," Johnny said, directing them to the second floor. "If you stay here until he passes, you can get by him without being seen."

Nina relayed the information to her companions and they moved to the second floor, tucking themselves in the apartment door alcoves to avoid being seen. Moments later they heard someone stumbling and swearing up the stairs. Horatio was closest to the stairs where the noise was coming from and, curious, he stole a quick peek around the corner. He spotted a dark black man with a shaven head, baggy jeans, and a muscle shirt, staggering up the stairs. The man looked like the third person in the photo he'd bagged. At the top of the stairs the man appeared to stumble and it appeared to Horatio as if someone had grabbed him by his ankle and yanked. He couldn't help but wonder idly if Johnny had a hand in that.

Frank had chose a hiding spot across from Nina, mostly to keep her safe if trouble rose, and, although he would never admit to anyone, her perfume was bugging the hell out of him. He knew it smelled like some sort of flower but he couldn't identify it. He just knew he liked it as it gave him ideas, some that were best not entertained at the moment.

"Nina," he hissed.

"Hmm?" she whispered back.

"What the hell kind of perfume are you wearing?"

She grinned. "You got a problem with it?" she asked softly.

"It's driving me nuts!"

She grinned even broader. "Tell you what; if we get out of here in one piece, I'll tell you."

"Speaking of which, time to move," Johnny said, appearing beside her.

"Let's go," Horatio said, deciding it was safe.

The group quickly left the building and headed for their respective vehicles. Nina had ridden with Frank and Horatio had come in his Hummer.

"Okay, I'm going to take this stuff back to the lab to be tested," Horatio said. "Nina, for your safety, I do not want you anywhere near this place again, understood?"

"Loud and clear," Nina said. "I may get nagged at ghosts to do certain things, but even I know my limits."

"Good. Frank, will you take her back to her vehicle while I run this stuff in?" Horatio asked.

"Sure thing," Frank said.

As Frank and Nina headed back to the station where Nina's car was parked, Nina listened to Johnny rant.

"Want some coffee?" Frank asked, noting Nina was fairly quiet.

She smiled at him. "Sure, sounds good. Oh, and by the way, my perfume?"

"Yeah?"

"It's called _Youth-Dew_ by Estée Lauder and is one of two favourites of mine."

"I like it," he said as he pulled in to his favourite drive-thru coffee place. And he did; it was soft but sexy at the same time.

"Then I'll make a point of wearing it more often for you," she said, grinning.

As Frank ordered their coffee, he listened to Nina's apparent one-sided conversation with whom he deuced to be Johnny.

"Look, Johnny, I understand you want to go after Dan-o'. I can understand wanting justice for your death and for Lyta's treatment, but you need to be patient," she coaxed, looking in the inside rear-view mirror. "You said yourself you can't remember seeing the face of your killer. Dan-o' is a likely suspect, true, but first the Miami-Dade police need time to test the blood we found on the ground. That's going to take a day or two." She was quiet for a moment then said firmly, "Yes, you can wait, Johnny. I can't make things move any faster and I'm not about to try and confront Dan-o'."

"I should damn well hope not," Frank growled as he handed her the coffee.

Nina grinned at him. "Don't worry, I have no intention of confronting or going anywhere near Dan-o' if I can avoid it."

"Good to hear; I've spent too much time chasing after you to lose you because of some stupid stunt," Frank growled possessively, making Nina grin even wider.

She thought for a moment and then said, "Listen, Johnny, here's what I want you to do. I want you to go to Lyta and watch over her. If she looks like she's in trouble, you come and get me, okay? I want you to watch over Lyta for me. Will you do that for me?" She was quiet for a moment, apparently listening to Johnny. Then she said, "Yes, you may, but don't scare her, okay? Remember, she's pregnant with your baby and the last thing we want is an accidental miscarriage because she got so badly scared. She's already under a lot of stress because of Dan-o'. Be careful not to add to it." She was quiet for a second then she smiled reassuringly at Frank. "He's gone to look after Lyta."

"Heck of a guardian," he quipped.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: **sorry this is such a short chapter and thank you for your patience in my up-dates.**  
**

**Chapter 18**

"Valera, you paged me?" Horatio asked the DNA lab technician two days later.

"I did. Got your results on the stuff you gave me from the parking garage," she said, handing him the file. "The blood, brain matter, hair, and epidurals from the pop can, they all matched. No match in any database though."

"Okay," Horatio said.

"The only thing I can tell you is that the profile is that of a male with type AB blood. Sorry," she said.

Horatio nodded and headed for the fingerprint lab. The technician there also had results and they were a little more positive.

"Found two sets of prints on the photograph," he said. "One AFIS didn't recognize but the second set, it coughed up a name. Meet Daniel 'Dan-o' Leno."

Horatio studied Dan-o's file and his eyebrows went up. The man matched the second man in the photo and Horatio recognized him as being the man he had spotted in the apartment stairwell. Dan-o' had quite a rap sheet, mostly for assault and assault with a weapon.

He shared this information with Frank and Frank said, "Nice guy. Maybe we should have a chat with him about his missing roommate?"

"Agreed," Horatio said. But before they could go anywhere, they were both paged. A dead body had been discovered and that meant Johnny had to be put on the back-burner for now.

Half an hour later Horatio was studying the remains of a dark-skinned male as he was carefully removed from his temporary grave in, of all places, a local park with a garden. He had been buried underneath a tree and it was a civilian's family dog that had found the body.

"Alexx?" Horatio asked.

"He's been here for a while, Horatio. I'd estimate about at least a week, maybe a week and a half," the medical examiner said. She carefully lifted the victim's hand and studied it. "Don't know if we're going to get any prints off of this one but we can always try dental," she said.

"Cause of death?" Horatio asked.

"Based on the way his head and face is, I'd say the poor boy was beaten to death but I won't know for sure until post," she said.

"Hey Horatio?" Calleigh asked. She was assisting the team in carefully digging out the victim and she had found what looked like a wallet. "Looks like we've got a name. Johnny Brian Salvador, a student at the Miami-Dade Community College," she said, carefully reading the card in the see-through section of the wallet.

Horatio froze when he saw the photo on the card. "Damn it," he muttered.

"Someone you know?" Calleigh asked.

"Recognize the name, Alexx?" Horatio asked instead.

Alexx had frozen when she'd heard the name. "Please tell me that's a coincidence," she begged.

"Twenty-two year-old black male attending Miami-Dade Community College with the name Johnny Brian Salvador?" Horatio asked. "We won't know for sure until DNA and dental records confirm but I think such a coincidence is highly unlikely."

Six hours later, they had their answer. In the morgue, Alexx, Horatio, Frank, and Calleigh stared at the remains of Johnny Salvador. Dental records had proven to be a match. DNA would take longer but that was just a formality. Calleigh had been brought up to date about Johnny and what little they knew so far.

"So now Johnny is no longer missing and officially a homicide," Calleigh said.

"Now we just have to find out who killed him and why," Horatio said.

"Well, I can tell you the how part," Alexx said. "He was beaten to death with something solid. The back and left side of his head have been reduced to little more than pulp."

"Someone was angry," Calleigh said.

"Very," Alexx said. "I found trace in what was left of his brain and sent it up. He did try to defend himself, for what little good it did, because both of his hands and fingers are broken."

"Okay, who wants to tell Nina we found her student?" Frank asked. "She would have Johnny's parents contact info."

"There's a conflict of interest here, Frank," Horatio gently pointed out.

"Because I'm seeing Nina?" Frank asked. "Yeah, you're right. I'll turn the case over to Berkley."

Calleigh grinned at him. "So the rumors are true; you _are_ seeing Nina Johnson." Then she asked innocently, "How hard did you have to chase her before she gave in or did you just use your good ol' Texan charm on her?"

Frank glared at her even as his face went scarlet. It didn't have the effect he was hoping for because she just grinned even wider.

In her office at Miami-Dade Community College, Nina was working at her desk, attempting to get some paperwork done. So far Johnny had kept his word and kept an eye on Lyta for her. He hadn't revealed his presence to her yet, not feeling ready to do so and not wanting to scare her.

"Nina?" Johnny asked, appearing in front of her desk.

"What's up?" she asked, reaching for the CD player she kept on her desk and turning the volume up to cover up the sound of her talking to what appeared to be an empty room. It was a favorite trick of hers and had helped her save face on more than one occasion.

"They've found me," Johnny said simply. "Your friend, Frank, he won't be able to handle my case because of something called 'conflict of interest' so he's giving it to some guy named Berkley. I'm not so sure I like the dude. Said something about taking a close look at you."

"Well, I'll deal with him when I have to," Nina said. "You just behave and watch Lyta for me."

Johnny nodded and vanished, leaving Nina to mutter, "Let the games begin."


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N:** Sorry so long on the up-date and I appreciate your patience. As I mentioned in previous chapters, it was Paint-Week at my place and this is the first time I've managed to slow down long enough to do any typing or up-dating. Truth be told, I had to pre-rewrite this chapter at least twice because I didn't care for the way the conversation was going. Anyway, thanks again for your patience and reviews.

**Chapter 19**

Detective Jake Berkeley studied the file on Johnny Salvador as he waited for Nina Johnson to arrive. The file had gone from being a Missing Person's file to a Homicide file in less than a week, especially after Johnny's body had been found. The autopsy stated he'd been beaten to death, probably with something heavy and solid, and mostly in the skull region.

Jake wanted to question Nina because she seemed to know quite a bit about her missing student. He couldn't help but wonder exactly what the relationship was between teacher and student. He did know Nina was dating Frank Tripp (or Old Baldy, as he privately called the man), which is why the case had been handed off to him. He'd also heard rumours that Nina had helped 'rid' the crime lab of a so-called ghost.

_Yeah right_, he thought. No such thing as ghosts, no matter what anyone tried to tell him. Ghosts didn't exist, only people's over-active imagination and the power of suggestion. Anyone who tried to claim otherwise was either a fraud or a con-artist. He couldn't help but wonder if Nina fell into that category. If she did, he'd come down on her that much harder because he had absolutely no patience for that kind of bull-shit.

Nina was on time and they quickly got down to business. She was looking a bit tired, which, when commented on, she attributed to having just finished trying to wrangle a bunch of hyper-active students into behaving, a major feat as Spring Break was less than two weeks away.

"How is that you know Johnny Salvador so well?" Jake asked.

She shrugged. "I spent a lot of time mentoring and talking to him. He was a good student and he had a lot of potential," she explained.

"How is that you knew something was wrong when Johnny vanished?"

"There are several words I can use to describe Johnny, and they are 'punctual', 'reliable', and 'determined'. He is not the sort of person to say they're going do something and then vanish without warning. The last time I spoke to Johnny was over the phone and he said that after he finished meeting with a friend of his, Lyta, he was going to come over to my office and show me something he was working on, a play I believe, and wanted my opinion on it," she explained. "He never showed. I waited two days before I started making phone-calls and those calls were not exactly what I call satisfactory."

"Who did you call?"

"I first called Johnny's roommate, Dan-o', who claimed Johnny was away at his parents place in Naples. I called his parents who claimed they had been told that Johnny was visiting his grandparents in Immokalee."

"Did you believe them?"

"I believed that they believed he was in Immokalee but I didn't believe he was actually in Immokalee," she replied.

"Why?"

"Johnny once told me that both grandparents on both sides of his family are dead. Then, later, he explained to me that yes, his grandparents on his mom's side were dead but that his grandparents on his dad's side of the family were currently residing in a jail and he had no wish to have anything to do with them, so as far as he was concerned, they were dead."

That made sense. "And the play he wanted to show you?"

"Never saw it so I don't know what it was about except that he mentioned it being a bit controversial."

"What about Dan-o'?"

"Never met the guy except over the phone and even that got my back up. All I know is that Johnny admitted he was known for knocking his girlfriend, Lyta, around, and aside from kidnapping Lyta and hiding her from Dan-o', he didn't know what he could do to help her, other than help her press charges against Dan-o', if she ever chose to. Dan-o' apparently has quite a vicious temper."

"You think Dan-o' could have gone after Johnny?"

"Anything's possible," was Nina's simple response.

Jake nodded. So far everything seemed on the up-and-up. "I've heard rumours that you helped the crime lab get rid of a so-called ghost."

"Let me guess, you don't believe in ghosts," she said.

"Did I say that?"

"You said 'so-called ghost.' People who say that usually don't believe in ghosts or don't believe that there are people out there with special gifts that allow them to communicate with ghosts or spirits," she replied.

"And what are you?" he asked.

"Done here, unless you have any further questions regarding Johnny Salvador," she replied, standing up.

"So you're not going to confirm or deny the rumours?"

She looked at him and her eyes went cold, as did her posture. Jake could have sworn the room temperature dropped at least several degrees and he had to fight the urge to rub his arms. "No, I am not. People will believe what they will believe. I will not supply fuel for the fire, so to speak." She tilted her head and studied him the way a person would study an insect they're debating whether or not to squish. "I sincerely hope your beliefs don't affect how you do your investigations, _Detective,_ or I will have grave concerns about Johnny's killer ever being found."

And with that, and a tug of her short denim blazer, she left, making Jake feel like he was still a kid in elementary school and he'd just gotten verbally reprimanded by his teacher for being an ass in class. He later commented on this to Frank, who, to add insult to injury, wasn't exactly sympathetic.

"What do you expect? She's been a college teacher for a number of years," the sergeant replied. "If you got a tongue lashing from her, it's probably because you deserved it."

_Ouch_, Jake thought, watching Frank walk off.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: **thanks again for the reviews and your patience. I'm just about ready to wrap this one up because I may or may not have another story idea in the works and I can't do more than two stories at any given time. For now, thanks for reading and hope you enjoy this one.

**Chapter 20**

"So no evidence?" Nina asked, forking a steamed carrot into her mouth and munching.

"Not a damn thing," Frank said. "All we have is Johnny's blood on the parking garage and his body. We don't have the weapon and his car is missing."

"Nothing in the apartment?"

"Nope, and the only reason Berkeley even got into the apartment was because the apartment lease is in Johnny's name," Frank said, spearing a steamed green bean. He had taken a liking to steamed vegetables, finding they tasted better and had more crunch than boiled vegetables.

He was at Nina's place, enjoying a home-cooked dinner. Nina had admitted she wasn't much of a cook but when she made the effort she wasn't too bad. Frank had to agree with her on that.

"Damn," Nina said.

"I know. It looks like Dan-o' may get away with Johnny's murder."

"Something he could hold over Lyta's head as a way of preventing her from leaving him."

Frank scowled at that prospect. He didn't like murderers getting away with murder, even if the case wasn't his. "How's Johnny taking things?" he asked. He was starting to get used to the idea that ghosts were part of Nina's life the way his service weapon was part of his life. He'd even gotten used to the idea of a ghost dog living with Nina in her home. In fact, he could feel Cujo resting on his feet, a fact Nina had confirmed earlier. Apparently the dead dog had taken a liking to him. Too bad he couldn't say the same thing about Mercury, her cat; she tolerated him at best. Fortunately for him, her two dogs, Taz and Pépé, got along with him.

He was seriously considering introducing his kids to Nina the next weekend he had them. He hadn't mentioned it to her yet but he was thinking about suggesting it later that evening. Ghosts or not, he was finding he wanted Nina in his life on a slightly more permanent basis and that meant bringing his kids into the picture.

"Last time I saw him, he was still watching over Lyta," Nina said. "Hopefully she's doing okay."

Frank nodded. They moved on to other topics and were making their way through a store-bought Black Forest cake when Johnny suddenly appeared, looking agitated.

"Teach, Lyta's on her way over and she's running scared. Dan-o's drunk, mean, and mad," Johnny said.

"Uh-oh," Nina said. "Any idea why?" Frank looked at her curiously and she mouthed, _Johnny_. He nodded in understanding.

"Dude just figured out Lyta's pregnant and since he hasn't banged his girl for a while, he kinda put two and two together," Johnny said. "He doesn't know the baby's mine but he does know Lyta's pregnant with what he figures is some other guy's baby."

"Crap," Nina said. She quickly explained the problem to Frank, who promptly swore. "Okay, Johnny, you're on guard duty again. I want a four-block warning if Dan-o' even comes near this place, understood?"

"Yes ma'am," Johnny said. He vanished as Nina took Frank's hand and lead him to her office, where she revealed a hidden safe in the wall behind a painting. In the safe was a Walther P22 semi-automatic pistol complete with two magazines of ten-round .22 LR (Long Rifle) bullets. There was also a holster for the weapon.

"That's a lightie," Frank said as she handed him the weapon, holster, and the magazines.

"Because I don't like using it if I don't have to but my ex had me learn how to use it when he started working for a major bank," she explained. "It was the gun with the least amount of recoil and I'm comfortable enough with it. As it is, I've kept my licence up-dated more out of habit more than anything else."

Frank nodded, sliding a magazine into the gun. "Let me guess; in case Dan-o' shows up?" He slid the gun into the holster and clipped it to the back of his pants, under his t-shirt.

"Yeah. I'd rather you handled it than me and right now I don't trust Dan-o'. If he killed Johnny, there's nothing stopping him from doing it again and I refuse to have blood spilled in this house if I can avoid it," Nina said, closing the safe and replacing the painting. They returned to the kitchen and a moment later, the door bell rang and frantic banging could be heard on the door.

Nina went to the door and opened it, to find a frightened Lyta standing there. "Hey," she said.

"I'm real, real, sorry to bother you at this time of night, but you said if I ever ran into any trouble, I could go to you," the girl said.

"That's right. Come on in," Nina said, stepping aside to allow Lyta in. "Is Dan-o' causing trouble again?"

"He found out about the baby," Lyta whimpered. "He doesn't know it's Johnny's but that doesn't matter."

Nina nodded as she led the girl into her kitchen. "Lyta, this is Frank Tripp, a friend of mine. He's with the MDPD. You're safe here and you're welcome to stay here for as long as you need to," she said.

"You sure?" Lyta asked hesitantly. She looked down when she felt Taz and Pépé nosing at her. She promptly went down on her knees and started cooing and petting the dogs, who went wild with the attention. "Awww, aren't you two adorable! So cute! Are these bulldogs?" she asked.

"French bulldogs and they're brother and sister," Nina confirmed, smiling.

Lyta cooed over the dogs some more but promptly froze when she felt another cold nose press up against her, one she couldn't see. "Uhh, don't think I'm nuts here, but I could've sworn I felt another cold nose but I don't see a third dog," she said hesitantly.

"That would be Cujo," Nina explained. "He's a dog who happens to be a ghost."

"A ghost dog?" Lyta asked incredulously. "You have a ghost here? Seriously?" Nina nodded. "Cool!" Nina's eyebrows shot up at that. "I'm sorry, it's just that ghosts fascinate me. I'm always the first of the kids to go charging into a haunted house or any haunted place."

Frank grinned at that. "What would you do if you ever met a ghost?" he asked.

"Considering I think I just met one, I think that answer's kinda been answered," Lyta pointed out.

"Good point," Nina said. Suddenly, Johnny appeared again and this time the look on his face was of frantic worry.

"Dan-o's on his way over," the ghost said. "Before you ask, I think he followed Lyta because she's got a GPS in her car, one she doesn't know about, the bastard." Nina's eyebrows shot up at that.

Ignoring Lyta, she asked, "Can you stall him?"

"I've been trying to stall him as much as I can but the more and harder I try, the madder he gets," Johnny said. "Right now he's mad enough to kill and he's got a baseball bat with him."

Nina swore something ugly. "Stall and keep on stalling. I don't care what you do or how you do it, just do it!" She turned to Lyta and Frank, Lyta who was now wearing a very puzzled look on her face, and said, "Dan-o' is about four blocks away and mad as hell. Lyta, you need to get up-stairs and stay up there. Take my cell with you and call 9-1-1."

"What? I don't understand!" Lyta said, even as Frank cursed.

"I'm gonna make this short and fast and you're gonna have to take my word for it," Nina said, grabbing the girl and leading her towards the stairs. She grabbed her cell from the hallway table and thrust it into Lyta's hands. "You said you believe in ghosts. Well, I'm someone who can _see_ ghosts, and I just saw Johnny. He just warned me that Dan-o' is on his way over because I had him on guard-duty."

"_Johnny_?" Lyta breathed in wonder.

"Yes, Johnny. He's been watching over you for some time. Right now I need for you to get up-stairs and lock yourself in the guest room or in my room. If need be, there's a fire escape ladder under the beds. Do not turn on the lights and stay down and away from the windows." Nina said. "Frank and I will deal with Dan-o'. You do not come out unless I or Frank give the safe word." Lyta nodded.

"The safe word is Sergeant," Frank said, following them.

"Sergeant?" Lyta asked, puzzled.

"It's my rank with the MDPD," he said, having snagged Nina's portable phone.

"Cujo, you're welcome to go with her but you're welcome to assist me here," Nina told the dog. "Pépé, stay. Taz, go with Lyta," she told the two dogs. Taz obediently followed Lyta upstairs and Pépé plopped down beside Nina. Cujo elected to stay with Nina. A moment later Nina heard a door open and close. Lyta was safe.

Just then, a car screeched to a stop outside of Nina's place and Johnny appeared. "I stalled as best as I could," he said.

Seconds later a loud, angry banging was heard on the door.

"Okay," Nina said, taking a deep breath to try and quell her jumpy nerves. "Show time."


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N:** thanks again for the reviews. As for being able to write with a baby, it takes a bit of patience and effort but I manage:D

**Chapter 21**

"Open up!" Dan-o' yelled, pounding on the door, making it rattle.

"Nina, go to the back and call Dispatch," Frank said, handing her his cell. "It's speed-dial number 2. Tell them Sgt. Frank Tripp is requesting immediate back-up at your address ASAP to deal with a dangerously drunk individual." Nina nodded. "If you have to, run and don't look back." Nina nodded again and headed down the hall, Pépé right beside her.

"Johnny, look out for him," she instructed the ghost as she headed down the hall for the back of her house which had a door that lead to her back yard, pressing the 2 on the cell to place the call to Dispatch.

Johnny nodded and said, "C'mon, Cujo, we got work to do." Cujo barked and obediently followed Johnny back to Frank.

"Open the fuck up!" Dan-o' yelled again.

Making sure the gun was secure (even though he was very reluctant to use it) Frank opened the door to a very angry and very drunk black man with a baseball bat in one hand.

Shoving his way inside, Dan-o' demanded, "Where the fuck is that little bitch!"

Giving Dan-o' his best "Don't-Tangle-With-Me-Asshole" stance and glare, Frank shot back, "Who the hell are you talking about?"

"Don't fuck with me, whitey! That bitch's car is outside and I want her in front of me right here right now!"

Frank sincerely hoped Nina had made the call and that help was on the way. Yes, he was more than capable of holding his own but Dan-o' was drunk and mad and that was a dangerous combination. His eyes fairly watered from the alcoholic fumes that were all but pouring off the man.

"Are you talking about Lyta? Because if you are, she's not here; she just took a cab to the airport. She left her car here because she figured it was safer with a friend than in her neighbourhood," Frank said.

"Don't fuckin' lie to me! That bitch is here and she'd better get her fat ass in front of me right now or I'm gonna tear this fuckin' place apart and then I'm gonna beat the little bitch!"

"Is that a threat?" Frank asked coldly. "Because if it is, I will tell you right now, you're asking for a world of trouble."

"Fuck you, asshole!" Dan-o' yelled and with that, he swung the bat.

Frank brought his arm up reflectively but he knew it wasn't going to do much good. _This is gonna hurt,_ he thought.

Then, to his ever lasting surprise, Dan-o' suddenly dropped the bat and screamed in pain, grabbing his crotch.

_What the hell?_ Frank thought. Suddenly Dan-o's head snapped up and back as if someone had just delivered a swift upper-cut. The man went staggering back. _Johnny and Cujo,_ Frank realized, trying not to grin. In the distance he could hear the familiar sirens of the MDPD patrol cars heading their way. _Thank you, Nina._

"Fuck you and fuck that bitch!" Dan-o' yelled, his face looking a bit sweaty.

"Get out of my house and stay out," Nina said coldly, joining him. Frank groaned to himself. Damn it, he wanted her out of the way so he wouldn't have to worry about her but apparently she had decided otherwise. "I don't know what your problem is, but you were just informed that Lyta is not here. Whether or not you believe us, that's not our problem."

"Fuck you, bitch!" Dan-o' snarled. "You're just like her, a filthy, no-good whore!"

Before he could do or say anything else, Frank and Nina watched in amazement as Johnny promptly right-hooked Dan-o', followed by a blow to the stomach and then another upper-cut. This caused Dan-o' to go staggering out the open door. He tripped and stumbled over the front porch steps and sprawled on his backside on the pathway. It took him a moment to realize that the cops were pulling up to Nina's driveway and sidewalk and apparently he decided he'd had enough. He attempted to scramble up and run for it but he didn't get far.

He found himself being hit in the ribs hard enough that he flipped and hit the ground again, this time with the wind knocked out of him.

"How is Johnny doing this?" Frank whispered to Nina as they watched the spectacle, Nina struggling to hold on to a barking, growling Pépé.

"Sometimes if a ghost is angry enough, or determined enough, then they can gather enough energy to physically affect the living," Nina quietly explained.

"Oh boy," Frank whispered.

Suddenly Dan-o' started screaming at something Frank couldn't see. "What the fuck! You're dead, you mother-fucker! I fuckin' killed you! I fuckin' beat your god-fuckin'-damn brains out, asshole! You're dead, Johnny Salvador,_ dead, dead, DEAD!_"

"Now that sounded like a confession to me," Frank said.

"About as close to one as we're going to get," Nina said, watching something he couldn't see.

"What do you see?" Frank asked quietly, watching as four patrol officers struggled to restrain a thrashing, fighting Dan-o'.

"Johnny is standing over him with Cujo and he's talking to him," Nina said. "He just told Dan-o' that he would never let him hurt Lyta again, ever."

"How can Dan-o' see him?"

"He's drunk. For some people that can cause them to see things they normally wouldn't. Plus, Johnny's pretty mad so he's giving off a lot more energy than usual."

The officers had a heck of a fight on their hands with Dan-o', who had turned his attention to them and was now cursing and swearing at them. Frank felt bad for them and was tempted to assist but them Dan-o' spotted Lyta peering out from the bedroom window and he exploded.

"You fuckin' bitch! You're dead, bitch, _dead!_" he yelled.

That did it, Frank thought. Even as the other officers radioed for help, Frank dove into the fray. Nina watched from her porch, hand over her mouth in horror, even as she tried to contain her wriggling dog. Then Lyta, apparently deciding it was safe to join them because the cops were there, joined her, also carrying a wriggling, barking dog; Taz.

"_You're dead, Lyta, dead! Fuckin' whore!_" Dan-o' yelled. "_I'm gonna beat your brains in the way I did Johnny!_"

"Did he just admit to killing Johnny?" Lyta whispered to Nina.

"Sounds like it," Nina whispered back.

Frank, plus the four cops and the additional three more that showed up, finally, _finally_, managed to subdue Dan-o'. He was hog-tied via cuffs and stuffed into a patrol car. Then Frank rejoined Nina and Lyta and said, "That boy is in a world of trouble."

"Looks like it," Nina said. "I'm guessing he's going to be facing numerous charges, including murder and attempted murder?"

"Along with uttering threats, resisting arrest, attempted assault of a cop, attempted assault with a weapon, the list goes on and on," Frank said. His shirt was a bit rumpled and grubby. "The guys are going to need to take some statements and then we'll talk."

"Sounds good," Nina said. "Because I think Johnny wants to talk to Lyta."

Lyta's head snapped up at the mention of Johnny. "Are you serious?" she demanded.

"Quite," Nina said.

"Oh," was all Lyta could think of to say.

"Question is are you willing to listen?" Nina asked. Lyta nodded hesitantly. "Then, once we deal with the cops, we'll deal with Johnny. Something tells me he's got quite a lot to say."


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: **thanks again for the reviews and your patience. I apologize for the delay and am batting around another idea involving Nina and Frank. Ever heard of the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables? Turns out it's pretty haunted...

**Chapter 22**

It was much later when the police finally left with their statements and Dan-o'. Dan-o' had been a basket-case, ranting and raving about being attacked by a ghost. Both Frank and Nina played it dumb, claiming they didn't know what he was talking about. They did, but unless they wanted to get some funny looks, well, there were some things best left unsaid. Besides, the dumber Dan-o' looked, the more trouble he was in and he was in plenty of trouble already.

Lyta, Frank, and Nina convened in the living room with coffee and tea. Nina's dogs, Pépé and Taz, cuddled up to Lyta, relishing the attention she lavished on them. Mercury, once she'd come down from the top of her perch on the fridge, opted to recline on the back of the couch near Lyta, watching the proceedings with a baleful eye and a twitching tail.

"You said you could see Johnny," Lyta ventured tentatively.

"That's right, I can," Nina said. "He's been watching you for some time and he was the one who let me know you were on your way over and that Dan-o' wasn't that far behind."

Lyta nodded. "I thought I was going crazy, 'cause I could feel someone watching me but it wasn't a bad feeling, kinda like a friend keeping an eye on me without me knowing about it. After the cops found Johnny's body, I couldn't help but wonder if it was him." She looked at Nina hopefully and asked, "Does he know about the baby?"

"He was there when you told me," Nina admitted. "As a matter of fact, it was he who advised me to go see you. When I made the report to the cops I had to fudge on a few things but everything I know about him is because he told me; I just didn't think it would be a good idea if I admitted it was his _ghost_ that was telling me these things."

"Both her and her report would have been tossed out the door faster than you could say 'boo'," Frank admitted.

"Was that Johnny that went after Dan-o'?" Lyta asked.

Nina nodded. "He was trying to protect Frank and, in a sense, you. Didn't hurt that he had Cujo with him."

"What does Cujo look like?" Lyta asked curiously.

"Ever seen the movie _Top Dog_ with Chuck Norris?" Nina asked. In response to the nods, Nina continued. "Cujo looks like Reno; big, hairy, and slobbery. He's also pretty good-natured. Oh, and let's not forget that Dan-o' found out he's got a mean bite." Lyta snickered and Frank grinned. "Lyta, you've got some choices to make. You're welcome to stay here for the night or until we know Dan-o' isn't going to be released on bail and is going straight to jail. You've got a baby to raise and you need to decide what you're going to do. Staying with Dan-o', should he be released on bail, is only going to end in your death." Lyta nodded reluctantly.

Frank spoke up. "I've been a cop for a number of years, Lyta, a fair number of them as a homicide detective, and I've seen my fair share of girls like you wind up dead because of jackasses like Dan-o'. I would love it if you were not one of them because every time I find one of them, I have to tell their parents that their baby girl is dead. I hate doing that." Lyta nodded again.

Nina appeared to be listening to someone and a moment later she spoke. "Lyta, all Johnny wants is for you to be safe. If he knows you're safe then he can rest. He cares about you more than you realize. He knows that the moment you two shared was wrong but he wonders how something so wrong could feel so right, especially when they produced such a miracle."

Lyta sat there, tears slowly rolling down her face. "It wasn't wrong, it was right. I only stayed with Danny out of fear, nothing else. After tonight, I swear I won't go back to Dan-o', no matter what happens. We are _so _done."

"Good," Nina said. "Dan-o' will kill you, Lyta, and you know that as well as I do. He said as much tonight." Lyta nodded. "Johnny wants you to be safe and as long as he knows you're safe, he's happy."

"What about justice?" Lyta asked.

"He doesn't care about that," Nina said. "He just cares about you and your safety."

"I miss him," Lyta whispered.

"He knows but you two will see each other again and he promises you that when it's your time, he'll be there to guide you over."

"Will he?" Lyta asked.

Nina watched as Johnny reached over and tenderly brushed Lyta's face. She shivered at the invisible contact and brought her hand to her face, whispering, "Johnny?"

"He's saying good-bye," Nina said. "It's time for him to move on." She listened for a moment then said, "I promise I'll do everything I can." She smiled and nodded. "Yes, it is. I don't know what lies in the light because it's not my time. Go, have fun and do me a favour? Take Cujo with you; he needs to move on into the light and I haven't been able to convince him to go." She laughed, seeing something no one else could see.

Faintly, very faintly, Frank realized he could hear a dog barking excitedly and as he listened the sound gradually faded away. He had the distinct feeling Johnny and Cujo had left, a fact confirmed by Nina a moment later.

"He and Cujo are gone now. They're at peace," she said.

"I can feel it," Lyta breathed.


	23. Chapter 23

**/N: **I apologize for the major delay in up-dates with this story but there's been so much going on lately it's unreal... anyway, I think you might like this, as this one has been nagging and hanging around for a bit.

**Chapter 23**

It had been several weeks since Johnny had moved into the light and things had settled down a bit for Nina and Frank. Sure, Nina still dealt with the occasional ghost but it was nothing major.

Frank was starting to get used to the idea of ghosts around Nina and part of Nina's life. Sure, odd things happened to her and some of them had raised what little hair he had on the back of his neck, but he figured if he didn't get used to it now, he was not going to get used to it at all.

One warm summer day, Nina met him at the lab for a quick coffee date; she was in the middle of summer school and he was busting his butt off on a new arson case that looked like murder was involved. As it was, they were stealing what little time together they could steal.

"Hey, sweetheart," he said, as he walked up to her.

She smiled back. "Hey yourself. How's it going?"

"I've got to take my suit to the dry-cleaners to get the smell of smoke out, but we're good so far."

She sniffed his jacket. "It's not that bad."

"Sez you; I've been crawling around a burnt condo for the last two hours," he grunted.

"Yuck."

"Enjoying yourselves?" came Horatio's quietly amused voice as he walked past the couple.

Frank grinned and Nina smiled. "Yeah, I'm about to rope this cowboy away for coffee for a bit before we get too busy again," she quipped. Then she blinked and did a double take. Frank had learned to recognize that look; it meant a new ghost had appeared in the vicinity. "Umm, Horatio?"

"Yes ma'am?"

"Do you know you have a ghost following you?"

He smiled wryly. "I would imagine I have quite a few."

"Well, yes, you've got three regular ones, one whom is a constant and two that pop by occasionally, when they're not dividing their time checking on others," Nina admitted. "Actually, this one is new."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Have you had any fire victims on your case files as of late?" Nina asked, studying the new ghost, even as she was studied.

Frank looked at Horatio, who looked at Frank. "We're currently investigating an arson where there was a victim involved and it's looking like a homicide," Frank admitted.

"You got a name, sweetheart?" Nina asked someone they couldn't see. She listened for a moment then said, "Does the name Amy Holmberg mean anything to either of you?"

Horatio scowled. "She was the reported owner of the condo," he admitted. "Unfortunately, due to the condition of the body, we're having trouble identifying her."

"Have you checked her dental records?" Nina asked.

"No, because her parents claim she's still alive," Frank said. "Except we haven't been able to locate her for questioning," he admitted.

Nina raised an eyebrow at the pair.

"I'll have Alexx compare Amy's dental records to the body," Horatio said.

"Thank you," Nina said.

"What does Amy want with Horatio?" Frank asked curiously.

Nina listened for a moment then said, "She's still a little hazy on some things, which is common with a lot of ghosts when they die, but she says there's a fireproof box that contains everything you need. Find the box, you'll find your answers."

"We've already found a fireproof box and it only contained personal information documents, such as her life insurance policies, etcetera," Horatio said.

"There's a second box, a larger one, one that she hid and her family doesn't know about," Nina said.

"Where is it?" Frank asked.

Nina listened for a moment then sighed heavily. "It was a safe-type box that she had built into the floor in her room, under her bed, which was on the second floor."

"And the second floor collapsed during the fire," Frank groaned.

"Then I guess you have your work cut out for you, don't you?" Nina asked sweetly.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

Once again, Horatio found himself at the burnt remains of Amy Holmberg's condo. Once again he mentally reviewed what he knew about Amy Holmberg.

Twenty-four years old, comes from a prominent family, no known enemies, lived alone, was currently attending University of Miami School of Law to become a lawyer, and had last spoken to her mother two days ago. Friends had noticed she had seemed quiet and withdrawn over the last few days and she had blamed it on yet another fight with her parents, something Mom and Dad had adamantly denied, calling it nothing more than vicious gossip by those with nothing better to do.

"So what are we looking for, H?" Eric asked, coming to stand beside him.

"We are looking for a large firebox that was supposed to be located on the second floor, under the victim's bed," Horatio said. "We received a tip that said the victim had a second firebox, one her family didn't know about."

"And if her family didn't know about it, then I wonder what the contents are," Ryan said as he joined them.

"But if we find it, how are we supposed to open it?" Eric asked.

"How about we worry about that when we find it?" Horatio suggested gently, scanning the area. Eric and Ryan nodded.

"Here's a floor plan of the place," Ryan said, holding up a sheaf of papers. "It was in the first box and it looks like it was designed by Amy, so that should make things a bit easier."

"Good," Horatio said. The three men studied the floor plans, trying to locate the safe.

"So that's the bed," Ryan said, indicating a notion on the plans. "If the box was under it, then," he began moving off in one direction, "when the floor fell, the box should have fallen... somewhere in this area." He scowled. "We're gonna need help."

The area Ryan was referring to was covered in large, heavy wood and what looked like the remains of a very large, four-poster bed and mattress, as well as a large, solid wood wardrobe, dresser, and bedside tables.

"Let's haul in the cadets from the police academy," Eric suggested.

"What's this I hear about help?" came a soft, familiar voice that was slightly muffled.

Heads snapped around and spotted both Frank and Nina carefully making their way towards them. "Alexx told me to tell you that she was able to positively identify the victim as Amy Holmberg," Frank said. "She also said that cause of death looked like a broken neck."

"Was she able to determine if the cause was deliberate or accidental?" Horatio asked.

"She said something about a C2 break, possibly an impact break," Frank said. "She also mentioned she'd seen several of those kinds of breaks after someone had gone head-first down a flight of stairs."

"But Amy's body wasn't found anywhere near the stairs," Ryan said.

"That's not the good part," Frank said, grinning.

"Okay," Horatio said.

"Despite the condition of the body, Alexx found that Amy's throat had been crushed; she was strangled to death, then her neck was broken," Frank said.

"So someone strangled her, and then broke her neck to cover up the strangulation," Eric said. "That makes no sense, give the position of her body."

"Where was she found?" Nina asked. She was dressed in white, disposable coveralls, with her hair covered, and she wore an N95 mask around her neck, plus plastic safety glasses and gloves; if anyone asked, she was from the lab.

"Near what would have been the kitchen," Ryan said.

"Okay, and Amy weighed about, what, one-twenty-five, one-thirty?" Nina asked.

"Possibly, yes," Eric said. "How do you know?"

"How do you think?" Nina shot back.

Eric thought about that for a moment, then went, "Oh. Her."

"Yeah," Nina said. "Okay, humour me. How far up the stairs would someone need to go to throw someone down the stairs and make it look like an accident?"

"Mid-way at the minimum, all the way to the top at the most," Ryan said, studying the remains of the stairs.

"Okay, now, a dead body is heavy, right? I don't think they call it dead-weight for nothing," Nina said.

"Right," Horatio said, starting to see where Nina was going with this.

"It's also very easy to strangle someone; you just need enough leverage," Nina said.

"Right," Horatio said again.

"But it's not so easy to drag a body up the stairs, especially if you're not that strong to begin with," Nina said. "I'm one-forty and I think Frank would have a bit of a time dragging me up the stairs, especially stairs as steep and curving as those ones."

"It would not be an easy task," Horatio said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"Drag the body half-way up the stairs, let go, and let 'er roll," Ryan said, also seeing where Nina was going.

"Especially with a good shove," Nina said.

"With that, it's possible her body could have landed near the kitchen as a result," Eric admitted.

"Do we have a suspect?" Horatio asked.

"Not at the moment; things are still a bit hazy," Nina admitted. "We need to find that box, though. Apparently there are some very interesting items in there. As for getting in to it, the code is in the first box."

"We found a key with some numbers engraved on it and a small arrow next to a two on the other side of the key," Ryan admitted.

"There's your answer," Nina said. She started carefully moving towards where the CSIs thought the safe might be and said, "Now, let's find that box."


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N:** thanks again for the reviews and as always, hope this is up to your expected standards.

**Chapter 25**

"Someone killed me," Amy said. "Why?"

"I don't know," Nina replied as she carefully worked her way through burnt debris. After she and Frank had gotten back from their coffee date, they had spoken to Alexx, who had up-dated them on her progress. They had then decided to catch up with Horatio, the idea being that Frank could relay the autopsy results and Nina could try and talk to Horatio's new ghost. The coveralls were meant to deter any questions from anyone who didn't recognize her. "You heard what the guys said though; you were strangled then thrown down the steps, breaking your neck in the process."

"And then my home was burnt down," Amy said sadly.

"Looks like a cover-up to cover a cover-up," Nina said. "If that makes any sense."

"But why?"

"Well, let's start with what you remember," Nina suggested.

Amy got a far-away look on her face, a face that was badly burnt almost to the skull, as was the rest of her body. "My sister, I remember talking to my sister."

"Which sister? Frank said you had two."

"Mary," Amy said. "It was Mary. I think. I think I was talking to Judy, too."

"Okay," Nina said. "So, you were talking to your sisters; what were you talking about?"

"I'm not sure. I remember being angry, though."

Nina nodded. "All right. Do you know why you're following Horatio?" she asked, having learned early on that if a ghost couldn't remember something, then it was best to try to direct the subject elsewhere and hope that they would eventually remember.

"Is that his name?" Amy asked, a smile of sorts coming to her face.

"Yes."

"Horatio Alger, Nelson, Hornblower, or Shakespeare?" Amy asked.

"Don't know; I'll ask," Nina said. "Hey, Horatio?"

"Yes, ma'am?" Horatio asked, also carefully picking his way through debris, looking for evidence while he was at it.

"Amy wants to know who you're named after," she said.

"Horatio Alger, an author who lived in Massachusetts between eighteen-thirty-two to eighteen-ninety-nine," Horatio replied.

Nina glanced at Amy who smiled again. "It's a nice name."

"Why are you following him?" Nina asked again.

"I didn't know his name, but he was kind to me one night, several years ago," Amy said, looking away as she remembered. "He told me he was a cop, that he wouldn't hurt me. I think I was trapped, but it wasn't a bad situation, just an awkward situation."

"Amy says you were kind to her one night, several years ago. You told her you were a cop, that you wouldn't hurt her. She thinks she was trapped and that the situation was more awkward than bad."

Horatio stopped, trying to remember.

"It was on a beach, at night, and I think I was wearing a rubber mermaid suit," Amy said. Nina relayed the information and watched as Horatio started smiling.

"I remember her now," Horatio said.

"You remember Amy?" Eric asked, listening in on the conversation.

"Yes, although I never did get her name," Horatio admitted. "She claimed she was a model and that her photographer was around somewhere. They were doing a night-time shoot and the tide was coming in; she was trapped because of her suit."

"She says she's sorry but she fibbed a bit that night," Nina said. "She knew where Mickey, the photographer was the whole time; apparently, when they saw you, Mickey suggested they bring you into the session without you knowing about it; create a more natural look, as it was. Amy did quite a bit of modeling for this guy and she thinks it may have been the cause of several arguments with her family."

"Okay, that is something to take note of," Horatio said.

"There are copies of the photographs in the safe," Nina said.

"And I think I just struck gold," Eric said, studying what looked like a very dirty box. "Or steel, in this case."

"That's it! That's the safe," Amy said excitedly.

"That's what we're looking for," Nina said.

"Wait a minute," Ryan said, puzzled. "I thought Amy was attending law school to become a lawyer. Why was she modeling?"

"My family expected me to become a lawyer, to uphold the family name," Amy replied, and Nina repeated. "But I wasn't happy. I was bored and lonely; I think I wanted more out of life than the family and its obligations."

"So why modeling?" Ryan asked.

"Mickey was a struggling photographer and a friend, I think, a good friend," Amy replied. "He made me feel good about myself and his work, it was unbelievable. He made me look and feel sexy without sex ever entering the picture or having to do touch-ups on the photographs. He had a real gift and I believed in him."

"Okay, let's get this safe to the lab and get it open," Horatio said. "And hopefully, get some answers."


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

Once the safe had been brought back to the lab, it was processed carefully. The door of the safe was dusted for prints but only one set was found and they did not match anyone on file. The safe itself was a well-built floor safe, designed to resist fire, flooding, and thieves, and had a touch-sensitive electronic lock on it.

The engraved key from the first box was brought out and the numbers engraved on the key were studied. It was a simple, uncut key with a square head with the numbers engraved on the head.

"Twenty-seven, nineteen, forty-two on one side and an arrow with a one next to it on the other side," Ryan said.

"Which way is the arrow pointing?" Horatio asked.

"To the left," Ryan said.

"Okay, what if that arrow means the code is one less than the numbers indicated?" Horatio suggested.

"So twenty-seven becomes twenty-six, nineteen becomes eighteen, and forty-two becomes forty-one?" Ryan asked. Horatio nodded.

"Okay," Eric said. He entered the numbers on the keypad of the lock and a moment later, the lock beeped and the door popped open.

Inside the safe were several thick file folders, all containing eight-by-ten photos, and a bunch of spiral-bound notebooks with dates written on the covers in black markers.

The work was divided up. Horatio and Ryan would go through the photos and Eric would grab Calleigh and go through the notebooks.

"These look like journals, H.," Eric said, glancing through the most recent notebook.

"When is the most recent entry?" Horatio asked.

"Two days ago. She mentions her sisters coming over the next day and dreading it," Eric said, reading the entry.

"Does she say why?" Ryan asked.

"Only that she was tired and seriously considering leaving Miami and starting over somewhere, somewhere where her family couldn't reach or bother her," Eric said.

"What the?" Ryan yelped, staring at the files containing the photos that were on the table.

Each of the files were tagged by quarterly month and contained nearly three dozen photos each. One of the files, dated nearly three years ago, had begun to move across the table, assisted by unseen hands.

Both Eric and Horatio froze.

"Okay, where is Nina?" Eric asked nervously, watching as the file moved closer to Horatio.

"Back at work," Horatio said absently. The file stopped in front of him. Deciding to take a chance on things, he asked, "Amy? Is that you? If you can, tap on something once for 'yes' and twice for 'no'."

A moment later there came a sharp rap and all three men jumped.

"Okay, this is freaky," Eric said, looking around nervously.

"Amy, do you want me to look at this particular file?" Horatio asked. A single, sharp rap was the answer, so Horatio opened the file. Inside were eight-by-ten photos and he began to lay them out, one by one. Some were in color, some were in black and white, but they were all of the victim, Amy Holmberg.

"These are well done," Ryan commented.

"That they are," Horatio said. Then he came across something; a series of photos of Amy posing as a mermaid, both in the day and at night. As he carefully laid out the photos, he came to the ones with him and Amy.

"I remember, Amy," Horatio said. "I remember."

"Remember what?" Eric asked.

"I spotted her when I was walking along a beach one night, lost in my own thoughts," Horatio said, studying the photographs. "I thought I was seeing things until I reached her and actually touched her; she was real. She seemed trapped on a rock and the tide was coming in. When I asked for her name, she said I could call her whatever I wanted, as long as I didn't hurt her. I told her I was a cop and that I wouldn't hurt her at all. She said she was a model and that her photographer had gone back to his car to get more film, leaving her temporarily stranded and the tide was coming in fast."

"So you picked her up and carried her up to the beach," Ryan said.

"How come she didn't just simply remove her tail?" Eric asked.

"Apparently this particular tail costume required two people to put it on and vice-versa," Horatio replied. "After the photographer finally came back, she assured me she was okay and I cautioned the pair of them about the dangers of their situation, telling them that I had recently dealt with one homicide and did not want to deal with another one just yet." He looked at the photographs of him and Amy, and said, "I never knew we were being photographed the whole time."

"It looks like the guy was nearby, possibly using a telephoto lens," Eric said.

There was a sudden, sharp rap and Ryan and Eric jumped again. "I'll take that as a yes, he was," Horatio said, smiling.

It was much later, as he sat in his office finishing up on some paperwork, that Horatio thought about Amy and that night on the beach. Sure, he had told Eric and Ryan what had happened, but that had only been a brief summary. He hadn't told them about the 'game' Amy had played with him, or how he had played along. He hadn't told them what had been said or the teasing that had occurred. No, he hadn't told them because he felt they weren't relevant to the case; they were private, personal. That night with Amy, his magical mermaid, that had been special, and being the private man that he was, he hadn't shared it with anyone, not even Yelina or Marisol. It had been between Amy, him, and the moon.

And he remembered...


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

_Three years ago:_

It was late at night as Horatio wandered along one of the many beaches in Miami, lost in his own thoughts. He'd had a long day and he knew he should be tired but for some reason he was restless.

And so he wandered, enjoying the solitude and the beauty around him. The waves moved against the sand as the tide went out and the full moon shone enough light that he could easily see where he was going.

He spotted an outcropping of boulders and thought about going over there and just sitting down. When he got closer though, he blinked and rubbed his eyes, not sure of what he was seeing.

"_I must be more tired than what I thought_," he thought, "_especially if I'm seeing a mermaid, of all things._"

He blinked again but the image in front of him didn't change; there, perched on the rock, was a mermaid, her long hair wet and gleaming in the moonlight and her tail waving slightly.

"_Mermaids don't wear bikinis,_" he thought. For indeed she was wearing a bikini top, and the skimpiest top he'd ever seen; two tiny triangles in a shiny emerald color with what he was guessing was clear string. The triangles covered her nipples and that was it. "Hello," he called.

Her head snapped around and her eyes went wide. "Hi," she called back, looking a bit shy and hesitant.

"Umm, are you all right?" he asked.

"I'm okay but I think I may have a problem," she said.

"Oh?" he asked, moving closer and eyeing the outgoing tide with suspicion.

"Yeah, the tide is going out and I'm stuck," she said, looking sheepish.

"I see," he said. "How did you get up there?" he asked.

"Crawled up when the tide was in," she replied, watching as he moved closer to the rocks, now up to knee-deep water. "I can't remove the tail because it's one of those tricky things that requires two people and a lot of wiggling, and if I try to do that, I'd probably do more damage than good."

"That makes sense," he said, trying to figure out the best way to get her down. "You have a name?"

She smiled at him, a teasing grin crossing her face. "I do, but are you sure you want to know it?" she asked, teasingly.

"It would be nice if I did," he replied, smiling back. He judged her to be in her early twenties, with brown hair that went half-way down her back, fair skin, a decent bust, and a slender figure. She was quite a pretty young lady, he thought, but in this area and at this time of night, she was also a target, and a very tempting one at that.

"You can call me whatever you want, just don't hurt me," she said.

"That, ma'am, is not likely to happen," he replied. "I'm a cop."

"A cop?" she asked. "Even better."

"I have to ask, though," he said, carefully placing his hands on her waist and lifting her off the rock.

"Oh?" she asked, placing her arms around his shoulders and letting him slide one arm under her 'tail', which were, in reality, from what he could tell, nice long legs under the 'tail' costume.

"Are you real?" he asked, teasingly.

She smiled back. "I'm as real as you want me to be," she replied.

"So what if I decide to kidnap you and take you home, prove to the world that mermaids really do exist?" he asked.

"Would you really do that?" she asked.

He shook his head. "No; there are some things in this world, I think, that are better left to mysteries. It makes them more interesting."

"A man who likes mysteries," she said. "Does that make you a man of mystery yourself?" she asked.

He smiled at that. "Let's just say I have more than a few secrets that are best left alone," he said, setting her down carefully on the sand. "Are you going to be okay here?" he asked, crouching beside her as she sat up and curled her 'tail' behind her.

"Yes, I will. My companion, he had to go back to his car and get some more film," she admitted sheepishly. "I thought he'd be back in time but..."

He nodded. "I can appreciate you wanting to take advantage of the night and the tide, but I should caution you to be careful," he said. "I've seen a lot of pretty girls like you dead because of predators who have no conscious about taking what they want, when they want, regardless of their prey."

She looked at him and he couldn't help but wonder if she was seeing right through to his soul. Then she reached out and gently touched his face. "You've seen too much, haven't you?"

He nodded. "I have."

"You really are a gentleman and I thank you for your concern. I'll be more careful, I promise," she soothed. She leaned back and hollered, "Hey, Mickey, you find that film yet?"

A moment later, a male voice hollered back, "Yup! Just loading it now! Be right there!" A moment later, a scruffy-looking young man emerged from the bushes, fiddling with what looked like a high-grade camera.

"Wondering where you'd gone to, dipwad," she said affectionately.

"Sorry about that; too much junk in the car and not enough room," Mickey said, approaching them.

"You ever going to clean that thing out?" she asked, grinning.

"I'll get around to it, eventually," Mickey said easily.

Horatio smiled at the pair of them and said, "I'm going to tell you the same thing I told her; I'm a cop and I know from personal experience there are predators out there who would think nothing of making your model their prey. She was lucky it was me who encountered her; next time she might not be so lucky. I don't want my next case to be her homicide, please."

"Understood, sir," Mickey said, his eyes going wide. "We'll be more careful, I promise."

"Thank you."

It was only later that he realized he'd never gotten the girl's name, but then again she'd never asked for his.


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N: **well, now that the majority of the out-door painting is done (I was painting my front steps and sidewalk with cement paint) I'm hoping I'll be able to get in a few more chapters before school starts on the 2nd of next month. Thanks for your patience and your reviews, as always.

**Chapter 28**

Eric and Calleigh's examination of Amy's journals revealed a lonely young woman who had entered law school under pressure from her family. Her grades were okay and she had friends at school but she wasn't happy there and didn't want to be a lawyer; she wanted to be a nurse.

Unfortunately for Amy, in the Holmberg family it was law or nothing. Anything other than a career in law was considered unthinkable. After all, Amy's father was a prominent judge, her mother was a tough-as-nails prosecutor, her brother was a Navy JAG officer, and her two sisters were either lawyers or, as in the case of Mary, married to a lawyer.

That wasn't the life Amy wanted and she knew it.

The journals also revealed that Amy was modeling on the side for Mickey Dupree, a friend and a gifted photographer who was working his way through college. Amy enjoyed the sessions but knew that if her family ever found out what she was doing, they would, to quote her, blow a gasket. Her mother had once called a similar model 'trash' and 'just shy of a hooker'. She had made it very plain that she would not associate with anyone who did that kind of work, ever.

The journals indicated very clearly that there was no sexual relationship between Amy and Mickey for one good reason; Mickey was gay. Their relationship was built on a strong bond of friendship and respect for each other. Mickey knew Amy was unhappy and constantly encouraged her to leave law school, leave her family, and strike out on her own. He had even offered to give her a place to stay until she got back on her feet and in one of her last entries she mentioned she had been seriously considering his offer.

Mickey Dupree was brought in for questioning and he basically confirmed what the journals were saying; that Amy had been his freelance model and that they had been close friends. He knew she was having problems at home, that she wanted out of law, and was actively looking at nursing schools, despite her family's protestations. He also confirmed an argument Amy had mentioned in her journals between her and her mother.

Apparently Amy's mother, Sophia, had threatened to disown Amy if she ever went against her family's wishes and set foot inside a nursing school. Amy had thrown back the fact that the family was big on looks and social status, nothing more, making them look shallow and petty and the argument had gotten worse from there, ending in Amy storming out of the house.

Mickey also confirmed that Amy had mentioned a meeting between her sisters the day she died, having spoken to him about an hour before the meeting. She was supposed to call him back after the meeting because they were supposed to meet up for another photo session.

"She believed in me," Mickey said, tears pouring down his face as he stared at a photograph of him and Amy together, laughing at the camera, one of his favourites. "She believed in my work when I didn't believe in it myself. She said that if she had her way, I was gonna be big and sought-after and she was gonna brag how she knew it all this time. I used to tell her, sure, and when I make it big, I'm gonna make damn sure the whole world knows who my muse was. I was gonna make her as famous as me and we'd travel the world together." He sniffed, taking a swipe at his eyes. "But that's not gonna happen now."

"What are you going to do now?" Frank asked, feeling genuinely sorry for the young man.

"I'm gonna take my collection of photographs and I'm gonna put together a book for her, show the whole world just how beautiful she was, show her parents what they were missing out on by pushing her into law school and all that crap," Mickey said determinedly. "I'm gonna show those Holmbergs just what they were missing out on."

"Any idea who might have wanted to hurt or kill Amy?" Frank asked.

"Not that I know of and not that Amy ever mentioned to me," Mickey said honestly. "It's funny, you know. Amy thought she was the black sheep of the family for wanting out, but I thought she was the strong one for wanting to make her own choices."

"Have you met the rest of her family?" Frank asked.

"Nope, and I don't want to," Mickey said. "Based on what she told me, though, of the four Holmberg kids, her older sister, Mary, was very dominant, while Judy pretty much went along with everyone else."

"What about Mary's husband?"

"Michael? She thought he was a wimp, always caving in to Mary and her demands."

"Could he kill Amy if Mary made noise about it?"

"With him, who the heck knows? Like I said, Amy thought Michael was a wimp and once quipped that she knew who wore the pants in that relationship and it sure as heck wasn't him," Mickey said, grinning. "She was tempted to buy the guy a skirt for Christmas one time."

"Ouch."


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

Frank stared at Michael hard while the guy squirmed in his seat. He was a lawyer but worked for the mayor and had his eye on the political ladder. He was also a stuck-up snob in Frank's blunt opinion and was not currently enduring himself to anyone at the moment.

The investigation had begun focusing on Michael when it was discovered his car had been seen in the area of Amy's home shortly before the fire was believed to have been started. Michael had denied, and continued to deny, being at Amy's house with Judy and Mary, saying his wife could confirm it and so could his co-workers.

While this was true to a point, there was one hour that neither Mary nor his co-workers could account for. It was the hour in which Horatio and the Miami-Dade arson investigators believed the fire in Amy's condo had been started, which was also believed to be the time of Amy's death.

In an effort to prove her husband was innocent in Amy's death, Mary had brought their recent bank statements after being informed that Michael had been seen at a local gas station buying about five gallons of gas in a plastic gas can within the hour that Amy had died. Unfortunately for Mary and Michael, the bank statements only further proved that Michael had indeed been at the gas station during that time frame.

"We've got your own damn bank statements that said you were at the gas station, pal," Frank snapped. "We've got a witness that clearly remembers you being there and buying gasoline."

Michael only glared at him.

"What happened to your hands, Michael?" Horatio asked calmly, referring to the marks on Michael's palms.

"I was working on my boat and I got a rope burn," Michael said quickly, too quickly.

"When?" Frank snapped.

"When what?" Michael snapped back.

"When were you on your boat, Michael?" Horatio said calmly, levelling his blue eyes on the younger man and not looking away.

"Three days ago," Michael said.

"That's funny, those marks look fresh, Michael, not old and healing," Horatio said.

"Are you a doctor?" Michael snarled.

"No," Horatio said.

"Then what do you know about injuries?" Michael snarled, tucking his hands away.

Horatio smiled coldly. "If I check with Mary, will she be able to verify that you got rope burns on your boat three days ago?"

"Yes!"

"Because she was there or because she is your wife?" Frank snapped.

"Both!"

"So you won't mind if we talk to her... again," Horatio said, smiling coldly.

"Go for it!"

"Believe me, we will," Frank said.

"I understand Mary is quite the domineering personality," Horatio said, switching tactics. "Amy once made a crack to a friend of hers that maybe she'd ought to buy you a skirt for Christmas since it was clear who wore the pants in that family." He watched as Michael flushed.

"Amy was a spoilt little bitch who wouldn't remember her place in the family," Michael snarled.

"So there was no love lost between you two?" Frank asked.

"Hell, no. You wouldn't believe how often I'd listen to Mary bitching and whining about how Amy was embarrassing the family," Michael said. "She wanted out of law school, wanted to be a nurse."

"And that was her right," Horatio said.

"Not in the Holmberg family it wasn't," Michael shot back. "Law is the only thing we do and being a nurse? Yeah right. No political connections, no influence, just wiping some butt-head's face and ass when they do something stupid like get drunk."

"I'll bet Mary bitched about Amy a lot," Frank said.

Michael chuckled dryly. "Like you wouldn't believe. She was ready to kill that stupid cow the last time," he said.

"Why?" Horatio asked.

"Because Amy refused to give in to their demands that she not embarrass the family and stay in law school," Michael said. "Mary said Amy was threatening to leave Miami and strike out on her own if the family didn't leave her alone. Christ, what an embarrassing little cow."

But that wasn't the story that Mary was telling. Yes, she admitted she and Judy had gone to see Amy and yes, there had been an argument. Yes, Amy had threatened to leave Miami and the family but, looking back, in her grief, Mary had realized that Amy had been right. Amy had been desperately unhappy and law school was not suiting her at all.

"I envied her," Mary admitted. "I was angry at the time, when I was ranting at Michael, but once I calmed down, I realized I envied Amy more than anything. She was brave, wanting to get away from the Holmberg name and all its trappings. I admit, we can be snobs at times and Amy was a gentle soul."

"Would Michael have the capacity to kill your sister if he believed that doing so would solve the family problems?" Horatio asked.

Mary grunted. "I don't know," she admitted. "When we heard about Amy's condo burning down, Michael just looked at me and said, 'that's one less problem for the family.' I was angry at him for saying that at the time but now, I can't help but wonder..."

"How were his hands when he got home that day?" Frank asked.

"They had weird marks on them," Mary admitted. "He brushed them off as rope burns from sailing four days ago."

"But he said you two went sailing three days ago," Frank said.

"He must've been mistaken because we took the sloop out four days ago for a charitable function," Mary said. "I remember it clearly."

"And the rope burns?" Horatio asked gently.

"I don't remember seeing them then," she admitted. "Look, Michael's my husband and he's a good man in his own right."

"I hear a 'but' in that sentence," Frank said.

"But I know he didn't marry me just for myself," Mary said. "I'm aware that he's politically ambitious and if he thought that getting Amy out of the picture would endure him to the family, well..."

Both Frank and Horatio nodded. Then, deciding that Mary seemed to be the more level-headed of the Holmberg siblings, Horatio showed Mary one of the photographs of Amy, taken days before her death.

"What's this?" Mary asked, studying the photograph. It was a black and white photograph that showed Amy on a beach, wearing nothing but a large shawl wrapped around her body, arms hugging herself, wind whipping through her hair, as she looked off in the distance. Both Frank and Horatio liked that one because of the lost-in-thought look on Amy's face.

"These are photographs that Amy was doing with a friend of hers," Horatio said. "This is one of the tamer ones, but there are others that are more, shall we say, risqué."

"Do you have them with you?" Mary asked curiously. Horatio brought them out and Mary looked at them one by one. As she did, her eyes filled with tears. "She's beautiful," she whispered.

"According to Amy's journals, which we found, if your mother saw these, she would more than likely explode," Frank said.

"Mother dear is a bit of a prude, I'm afraid," Mary said bluntly. "No, these are beautiful. Who did these?"

"A friend of hers," Frank said. "The same friend who saw something special in Amy."

"So do I," Mary said sadly. "And it's too damn late for me to admit that to her."


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N:** thanks again for your patience and kind reviews. I'm not sure what's going to happen with this story, but I think I'll leave it open as more ideas for Nina and Frank surface, hopefully through the school year. In the mean time, happy reading.

**Chapter 30**

In due course, Michael's car was impounded and examined. The team found traces of gasoline in the passenger seat of the car, as well as leather gloves also containing gasoline traces.

The gloves were interesting, of course, not just on the outside, but also on the inside; Michael's blood was found on the inside in the same pattern as the raw marks on his palms. Then Trace and DNA hit the proverbial jackpot; a single strand of wavy brown hair with a tag attached. The hair belonged to none other than Amy Holmberg.

Once the hair was found and positively identified, Horatio and Frank pounced on Michael, revealing several nasty-looking scratches around his wrists. Both Michael and the lawyer tried to claim that the scratches were made by an overly-playful kitten, even though the scratches looked more like someone desperately clawing at someone who was attempting to strangle her from behind.

Unfortunately for Michael, he had more trouble explaining away the gasoline in his car, the gloves, and the hair found in his gloves. There were also the witness statements about his car being spotted in the area at the time of Amy's death and the gasoline purchase.

In due course Michael was arrested and charged with Amy's murder, although it was expected that he would put up a fight in court. The D.A. promised he would hit him as hard as he could with what he could, recognizing Michael and the family he was associated with.

Later that day, after the news of Michael's arrest had broken, Frank and Nina joined Horatio on the beach where Horatio had first met Amy all those years ago.

"Amy is with us," Nina said, looking at the brunette who was now whole, happy, and beautiful.

"I thought I sensed her," Horatio admitted.

"She says thank you for finding her killer," Nina said. "She wishes she could have helped you more but she doesn't remember seeing Michael attack her, only that someone did and that it was from behind." Frank and Horatio nodded. "She wanted you to find the photographs because she knows how much sadness is in your life and she was hoping to cheer you up a bit. She also hopes Mickey will find the courage to show his photographs to the world because she thinks the world deserves to see them, to see how good he really is."

"Mickey said he was going to publish a book with the photographs," Horatio said.

"She knows; she was there when he told you and she thinks that's very sweet of him." Nina was quiet for a moment then said, "There's going to be hell to pay in the Holmberg family, especially once the journals and the photographs come to light but maybe it's time they were shook up a bit, made to understand that their word and their world is not perfect and that just because they serve the law does not mean there are others in their company who will or who want to. They held on too tight and it cost them."

"That it did," Horatio said. "That it did."

"Will Amy be allright now?" Frank asked.

Nina smiled and nodded. "She'll be just fine; she's at peace now and knows it's time for her to say good-bye." She watched as Amy gently caressed Horatio's face, watching as his eyes went wide at the unseen touch, and then she kissed him on the cheek. His fingers went to the spot on his cheek, eyes going wider. "She says good-bye and hopes that someday you'll find your magic again; you deserve a bit of magic."

"I want him to have the photograph of me, the one of him and me. Mickey will know which one," Amy said.

"I'll tell him," Nina promised.

The ghost looked at something that Nina couldn't see and asked, "Is that for me?"

Nina nodded. "It's the light, where there's peace, and yes, it's waiting for you."

Amy nodded. "Take care, all of you." And with that she began walking towards the unseen light before vanishing completely.

"She's gone into the light," Nina said. "She's at peace."

A few days later Mickey Dupree showed up at the crime lab with a large framed photograph in hand, asking for Horatio Caine. When Horatio arrived at the receptionist desk, he was handed the frame.

"I think Amy was trying to tell me something," Mickey said. "When I was going through my photographs of Amy, just after the interview with you and Sergeant Tripp, this one kept sliding out and hitting the floor, even when I placed it square in the middle of the table. Then I went to get some coffee and I came back and found your business card on top of the photograph. So I told Amy I got the hint and had it enlarged and framed. I think she wanted you to have this."

The photograph in question was a large, eleven-by-fourteen, color photograph of Horatio carrying Amy in her mermaid getup, grinning at something she'd said. Because the full moon was behind them and there was no other lighting, natural or otherwise, the couple were enshrouded in shadows, not revealing, only suggesting. If it weren't for the fact that he recognized the scene, Horatio would have serious questions as to who the man and woman were in the photograph.

"Thank you," Horatio said.

"You ever wonder, sometimes, if maybe Amy was hanging around, waiting, maybe watching?" Mickey asked.

"I think so," Horatio said. "And if she was, I hope she's at peace now."

"So do I," Mickey said. "So do I. If anyone's earned their peace, it's Amy."

"Amen to that."


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N: **so I decided to send Nina to New York after all. Also, pending my school work-load I may soon be restarting "Haven" again, after September 22nd, depending on how things go, as it appears that's when the season opener starts.

**Chapter 31**

Nina could not believe it; she was actually in New York City. Sure, Horatio had warned her that New York was huge and sure she'd seen the maps, but those were two different things.

Nina was in New York to attend a large teacher's conference for college teachers across the states, especially the ones involved in Drama and Fine Arts programs. The conference had a number of goodies, one of which included a tour of New York City. She would be in New York for about four days and was staying at a hotel sponsored by the conference.

Before she'd left, Frank had given her a kiss that had nearly melted her socks off as a way of 'convincing' her to come back to Miami when the conference was over. Things were going good between them, even though they had not yet slept together. The agreement was that both of them wanted to wait until the relationship was a bit further along before taking that step. Right now they were just dating, but once they slept together it would be a whole different ball game. That didn't stop Nina from having some very x-rated dreams and she was sure Frank had similar problems.

Nina was finding it rather interesting to date a cop, especially a homicide cop as she never knew when he would be getting a phone call that said he was needed at a new crime scene. She had learned to take those calls in stride and with good-natured griping and he had learned that she wasn't going to get annoyed or angry at the calls, especially when he was supposed to be on his day off. After all, with her talent she was always on call, only she was on call to the dead, not the living.

She had not yet met his kids and had decided to let Frank decide when he wanted to introduce her to them. From what she understood, Frank's divorce had not been a pleasant one as it had been triggered by allegations of infidelity on the part of his ex-wife, but she knew his ex-wife primarily had custody of the kids. He saw them as often as he could and had once admitted to being frustrated that his job sometimes got in the way of being with his kids. Luckily they knew he loved them and accepted that his job was important but not as important as them.

The first day in New York was filled with lectures and gatherings. The second day was only half-filled with lectures in the morning and a city-wide tour in the afternoon. So far she had managed to avoid going near Ground Zero, concerned about the number of ghosts that might be hanging around the area. After all, over three thousand people had died there and about twenty were still missing. She did not want to think about how many souls still hadn't or couldn't cross in to the light.

Nina had once been to the sight of a multi-fatality plane crash, where there had been about twenty people on the Boeing Business jet. The crash had wound up being the result of a mechanical error and those twenty souls had not been happy about that. Getting those twenty souls to cross over had not been an easy task and it had taken a lot out of Nina.

Twenty ghosts were bad enough; Nina was not so sure she wanted to try and deal with the Ground Zero ghosts; God knew how many of them were there!

One of the stops on the tour was a very tall building that the tour guide said was home to the city's largest crime lab. They weren't taken to the restricted access areas but Nina saw enough to know the lab had more than its fair share of ghosts, particularly a little boy that seemed to be following one of the lab technicians around. The boy grinned when he saw Nina and waved. She waved back as discretely as she could, given that she was surrounded by people who didn't know about her talent.

"You can see me," the boy said, a tall, gangly boy with a bike helmet in one hand and dark brown hair on his head. She nodded and put a finger to her lips on the pretence of rubbing an itchy nose. "Cool! I'm Ruben Sandoval. Could you talk to someone for me?"

Deciding this kid deserved at least a chance, Nina gestured towards a stairwell door that wasn't armed and headed for it, managing to slip away from the group. Ruben followed her and, once in the privacy of the stairwell, away from prying eyes, she crouched down in front of him and took out her ever-present notepad and pen from her purse.

"Okay, sweetie, I'm Nina. Who do you want me to talk to and how do you spell your name?" she asked.

"R-u-b-e-n," he spelled. "Ruben Sandoval at your service," he said, grinning at her. "And I need you to talk to a guy by the name of Danny Messer. He works here."

"Was he the guy you were following? The one with glasses, a shadow beard, shaggy-looking hair, and looking like his clothes have seen better days?"

"Yup, that's him."

"Danny Messer, huh? Okay, what do you need me to tell him?" And Nina began writing as Ruben began talking. Once she finished writing down what he wanted her to tell Danny, she looked at him and said, "You know, there's a place you can go where you can wait for your mom and Danny. I've been told it's a real cool place."

"Yeah? How do I get there?" he asked curiously.

She smiled. "What's the happiest moment you've ever known?"

Ruben thought about that for a moment then said, "When I was with my mom and we were at a movie together. I miss her."

"She'll join you when it's time, sweetie."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. And when she does, it'll seem like no time at all has passed. In the mean time, there's another boy on the other side, about your age. His name is Peter and he's a skateboard fanatic like you wouldn't believe; I'm sure you two would have plenty in common."

Ruben's eyes lit up at the prospect of a new friend. Then he spotted something she couldn't see. "Is that him? The kid in the light?"

"Sounds like it; I can't see the light, sweetheart, and I won't be able to until it's my time."

"He says it's cool where he is and he can't wait to show me around the place," Ruben said, grinning widely. "He says there are lots of other kids just like me and says we'll have lots of fun."

"Then go, sweetie, go have fun. I'll make sure Danny gets the message, I promise."

Ruben nodded, satisfied. "Wait up for me!" he called to someone she couldn't see and dashed down the stairs, fading as he did. Then he was gone.

Nina smiled. "One more ghost crossed over, one less ghost in New York." She looked at her notepad. "Now to figure out how to get this to Mr. Danny Messer without getting myself in trouble."

"I can help you with that," a new voice said. Nina looked up and spotted a pretty woman with almond-shaped eyes, fair skin, and a wide mouth, dark brown hair cascading around her face and shoulders. "Aiden Burns," she said, by way of introduction. "I know Danny, or rather, I did. Been keeping an eye on him and my other friends."

"Sounds like he took Ruben's death pretty hard," Nina said, standing up.

"Boy did he ever. Did a few stupid things but I'm hoping he's gotten himself straightened out now; Lindsey Monroe is a good woman and I'd hate to see their relationship go down-hill because of something that wasn't his fault."

Nina smiled. "If you help me, how can I help you?"

Aiden wrinkled her nose and grinned. "Rain check for now," she said. "C'mon, let's get that note to Danny."

"I need to catch up to the tour group before someone notices I'm gone and I need to tidy this up before I hand it over," Nina said, looking at her notes.

"They're grabbing a quick one in the staff coffee room," Aiden said. "Time to play Follow the Leader."

"Or in your case, Follow the Ghost," Nina said as she left the stairwell, causing Aiden to grin even wider.


	32. Chapter 32

**A/N: **Thanks again for your patience and your reviews. School will be starting for me soon (the technology in laptops these days is incredible!) but I will do my best to keep regular posts. Once again if there is anyone you'd like to see here, please let me know and I will do my best to include and accommodate.

**Chapter 32**

"Danny Messer?" a woman's gentle voice asked.

Danny looked up from his microscope to spot a woman in a white halter vest with a shawl collar under a pin-stripe navy blue fitted blazer and matching pants. She had her golden brown hair cut short and green eyes looked at him from behind wire-frame glasses. _She's kinda cute, _Danny thought absently, not recognizing the woman.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

She held out a folded sheet of paper with his name written on it. "This came in for you."

Danny accepted the paper and the woman nodded once and walked away, her black lace-up dress oxford-style shoes clicking quietly on the floor as she vanished around a corner. He wondered who she was but then turned his attention to the folded paper. He unfolded the paper and noticed it had neat handwriting in black ink on it.

"_Danny:_

_Ruben Sandoval is worried about you. He says you've been working too hard and pushing the people who care about you away, like Detective Flack. His death wasn't your fault and he knows you've been blaming yourself for it, even though your friends caught the woman who killed him and the guy who started the whole thing. He thinks the robbery at the bodega was kind of stupid but he knows you did what you had to do. He's only sorry that you had to find him again the way you did, that you were only trying to protect him. He didn't know he'd gotten shot anymore than you did._

_Your friend, Lindsey, she's a really nice person and she obviously cares about you a lot. What you were doing with his mom, Rikki, well, he'd always thought of you as a father-figure but never thought you'd do the rabbit with his mom, especially not when you were seeing Lindsey._

_Danny, the grief and heartache you're carrying in you is too much for one person to carry alone. Forgive yourself. It's not an easy thing to do, I know, but to quote Paul Boese, forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future. Ruben will see you when it's your time, but it's not your time right now; you still have a lot of bad guys to catch._

_As for him, to paraphrase a quote from 'The Last Samurai',( a movie I know you've seen as you rented it with Lindsey after Rikki broke up with you) remember how he lived, not how he died. He had a good life and good friends and that's all that should matter. Remember that, and forgive yourself for the simple reason that he's already forgiven you._

_A friend."_

Danny didn't know what to think or even what to do. This had to be a joke; either that or someone was stalking him. Either way, this wasn't funny.

He bolted for Mac and quickly showed his supervisor the letter. Mac's eyebrows shot up at the contents of the letter. He had suspected Danny was involved with someone but hadn't realized it was with Lindsey Monroe or Rikki Sandoval. He said as much.

Danny's face flushed with embarrassment and said, "It's a long story, and a stupid mistake on my part, but as it was, Rikki ended things and I'm trying to patch things up with Lindsey."

"Did you rent 'The Last Samurai' with Lindsey?" Mac asked.

"I did and that was two nights ago," Danny said. "The only people who knew about it were the guy at the video store and Lindsey. I didn't even mention the video name to Flack or anyone else for that matter." Mac's brow furrowed as he re-read the letter.

"The author mentions Paul Boese," he said.

"Is that a real quote?" Danny asked.

Mac nodded. "Paul Boese was a Dutch botanist better known for his quotes than his research," he said. "What I'd like to know is how this 'friend' knew so much about you."

"That cuts both ways!" Danny said.

"Did you recognize the person who gave you the letter?"

"Never seen her before," Danny said, shaking his head. "I'd recognize her if I saw her again though."

"Okay, let's get this checked for prints," Mac said. "Obviously yours and mine will be on it but hopefully so will this mystery writer."

Danny nodded, took the letter and headed for the print lab. Two hours later he had his answer; there were three sets of prints on the letter and only two of them came back matching to anyone; him and Mac. The third set came back unknown. Danny widened his search to include federal databases and still came back with no match. He thought about doing a composite and running that through the databases but then had to wonder if the woman had been wearing glasses as a disguise or whether or not she really did wear glasses. The same went for her hair; had her hair been real or had it been a wig? It had looked real enough but then again the technology for wigs was becoming such that unless you checked the hair under a microscope, you couldn't tell if the hair was real or not.

He reported the results of his search to Mac who scowled. He studied the composite Danny had done up and said, "Was this the woman who gave you the letter?"

"That's her. She didn't give me a name but she seemed to know mine and I didn't spot a badge but I thought it may have been hidden by her jacket," Danny said. "We go through so many people it's unreal. Heck, there was even a tour group of teachers through here not that long ago."

"Could she have been with the tour group?" Mac asked.

"I don't know. Like I said, she knew my name and she seemed to know her way around here well enough that she vanished fast enough."

"Okay, well, we can distribute the composite throughout the building and ask them to keep an eye out for her, saying we need to talk to her it's important but she's not to be arrested," Mac said. "Also, check around to make sure that's all she did and nothing more."

"Okay and if she's already gone?"

"Then there's not much we can do," Mac admitted. "Unless she did something other than give you the letter, she didn't really do anything illegal, other than go where she's not authorized."

Nina was in the coffee shop located near the NYPD building, enjoying a hot cup of coffee and a bakery treat when Aiden popped up in front of her. Nina took out her cell phone, her wireless cell phone headset already in her ear for such purposes, and pretended to fiddle with the keypad on her cell. "What's up?" she asked.

"Good thing you're not in the database," Aiden said, grinning.

"They checked for prints, huh? No surprise there," Nina said. "From what you've told me, I would have been surprised if they hadn't."

"He's a good man, Nina. I just hope like hell he'll listen and forgive himself."

"Forgiving oneself is always the hardest thing to do," Nina admitted. "Took me years to forgive myself for my son's death even though he was okay with it and had already crossed over."

"Were you there when it happened?"

"No, I was at home, preparing my lessons for my classes. I found out when he came looking for me, trying to figure out what had happened," Nina admitted.

"He didn't understand?"

"Not right away, no. Did you?"

"Sort of. I knew I was going to die and I held on to the hope that if and when I did, my friends would find and avenge me, one way or another," Aiden admitted.

Nina nodded. "The only reason I knew that my son was what he was is because I can sense the difference between the living and the dead," she admitted. "That's how I knew what you were without even asking or you telling me."

"You can tell the difference between someone who's alive and someone who's a ghost," Aiden clarified.

"Yeah."

"That's a fun life you live," Aiden quipped.

"You think this is bad, imagine what my boyfriend thinks, and he's a homicide detective," Nina quipped, grinning, causing Aiden to grin mischeviously.


	33. Chapter 33

**A/N: **many thanks for your patience and reviews, as always, and your suggestions. If you watch _Bones_, I'm sure many of you are looking forward to the 2 hour season premier where Bones and Booth wind up in jolly old London :D

**Chapter 33**

The tunnel was long and dark, seeming to go on forever. There were cobwebs everywhere and the dust was thick, layer upon layer. It was an old tunnel, made of brick and mortar, with brick crumbling in some places and the rail line rusting away quietly in the dark. No one had walked the tunnel in years and the last train had passed through years ago.

"Hello!" Nina called. "Is anyone here?" She held her lantern above her head, watching as the flickering light cast shadows about her. "_Is anyone here... here... here..._" her voice echoed through the tunnel.

"I'm here," said a little boy. Nina spun around. He wore clothing that looked like it had come from the _Untouchables _era, right down to the cap on his head.

"Who are you?" Nina asked.

"Come find me! I don't like it down here!" the boy said, whimpering.

"Where are you?"

"Near City Hall Station," the boy said. "Papa said the world was gonna end and that Reverend Cameron would save us, but I'm lonely and he scares me." Then the boy looked past her and whimpered in fear, cowering.

She spun around and found herself being flung down the tunnel. "_Leave us alone!_" a male voice roared, wind rushing through the tunnel at gale-strength forces. "_Leave us alone!_"

Nina woke up with a gasp, bolting up-right in bed. Her roommate, a college teacher by the name of Lucy Hargrove, grunted and turned over in her sleep, unaware of Nina's distress. Sighing heavily, Nina got out of bed and headed for the washroom to wash her face with cold water and get something to drink.

"I hate it when ghosts visit me in my dreams," she muttered to herself as she pressed the cold, wet cloth to her face. Still, she had to admit it was an interesting dream and it presented a bit of a puzzle. Deciding to see what she could find out about City Hall Station, she went to her laptop and booted it up. It didn't take her long to find City Hall Station.

According to Wikipedia, the free on-line encyclopedia, City Hall Station was located directly under City Hall Plaza, the original southern terminal of the first line of the New York City Subway built by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company, or IRT, and was opened on October 27th, 1904. Designed to be the showpiece of the new subway, it was considered to be one of the most beautiful subway stations ever built in that it had unusually elegant architectural style. The platform and mezzanine featured Guastavino tile, skylights, colored glass tile-work and brass chandeliers. Passenger service was discontinued on December 31st, 1945, forty-one years after it initially opened, due to it's declining usefulness (during it's final year, only six hundred passengers rode it per day, low by New York standards) although the station was and still is used as a turning loop for six trains.

The Brooklyn Bridge station was located a short walk away at the opposite end of City Hall Park and was proving to be more popular due to the fact that it provided both express and local service, including trains to Brooklyn. The Brooklyn Bridge streetcar terminal and Park Row station on the Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Corporation (BMT) elevated lines were at street-level for easy transfers. When the station closed at night, the trains continued the loop at South Ferry.

Citing a number of problems with the line, including extensive and expensive renovations that would be required to bring the line up to standards, the city decided to simply shut the line down. The last day of service was December 31st, 1945. Since then there have been several attempts to re-open the station as part of the New York Transit Museum but those are currently on hold. As of 2006, the Transit Museum is conducting tours, however, at present, the tours are only opened to registered members of the museum and require reservation and advanced payment. The station can also be seen by passengers who remain on the downtown 6 train as it travels around the loop to head back uptown. Passengers are warned to stay on the train at all times during this. Also, the track is classified as revenue track, with the station only used as an emergency exit.

According to current local maps, the nearest open subway stations in the area of City Hall were Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall, other wise known as the IRT Lexington Avenue Line, City Hall, other wise known as the BMT Broadway Line, and Park Place, otherwise known as the IRT Broadway-Seventh Avenue Line.

"So City Hall Station is an old subway station," Nina muttered to herself, "dating back to the early nineteen hundreds, which fits with what I saw the boy wearing. But why was he down there? And who was Reverend Cameron?"

Deciding more research was in order, she made herself a cup of tea and got down to work. Finding Reverend Cameron proved to be harder than she thought, as during the early nineteen hundreds, there were several reverends by that name and since she had no idea of a location, it was made that much more harder. After about half an hour of fruitless searching, she finally gave up.

"Looks like the only way I'm gonna find out what's going on is if I go down there," she thought. "Frank is so not going to like me." She had promised her boyfriend that she would try to avoid getting herself into too much trouble with the local ghosts, simply because he wanted her home safe and sound, not that she blamed him. Still, she had to try and find that little boy and try and help him. It sounded like he wasn't the only one there and this Reverend Cameron sounded like trouble._ Not all records have been computerized yet,_ she reminded herself. _If he's a reverend, that means he's definitely not going to be Catholic, so that eliminates that right off the bat. Looks like I've got to do some footwork in the morning,_ she thought as she wrote down a few addresses. _Someone's bound to know where I can find this guy. Better send an e-mail off to Frank, just in case..._

The next morning Nina headed back to the coffee shop where she was fairly certain Aiden Burns would show up. She needed to ask the ghost a few questions and as a former member of the NYPD, she was hoping Aiden might be willing to help a fellow investigator.

"Well, good morning," Aiden said, popping up in the seat across from her. Nina smiled, headset and cell phone already out.

"Good morning yourself. Can I get a favor out of you?" Nina asked.

"Do what I can," Aiden said.

"Have you ever been to City Hall Station?"

"Not directly no. That station is closed, has been for years," Aiden said.

"Since 1945, I know. I think there's something down there, though, a little boy who's terrified of someone named Reverend Cameron. He said something about how Reverend Cameron had said the world was going to end and he was going to save them. Looked like he came from the 1920's era."

Aiden frowned at that. "Poor kid. What are you going to do?"

"For starters, find Reverend Cameron, get an idea of who I'm dealing with, and then hit the tunnel. I'm going to find out what's going on, one way or another."

"And you need advice on where to go and how to get there," Aiden said, grinning.

"It would be appreciated."

"You got a map?" Nina hauled out her street map and a pencil and Aiden started pointing.

What Nina didn't know was that she was being watched. Danny Messer had spotted her and had pointed her out to Detective Donald Flack Jr., whom he had shown the letter and the composite to. He had also called Mac, who promised to be there right away.

"Looks like she's talking to someone on her cell," Flack said.

"Mm-hmm," Danny said. "I want to know who she is and how she knew what she knew, and I'm going to find out, one way or another," he said grimly.


	34. Chapter 34

**A/N: **hope everyone is enjoying the long weekend!

**Chapter 34**

Without a first name or a face, Nina's search turned up very little. She was given two possibilities, as both Reverend Cameron's had disappeared during the 1920's but there was no way to be sure. Part of the problem with her search, she later realized, was that there were so many different church organizations that she really had no idea which church Reverend Cameron may have belonged to. Even trying to track down the ones that claimed the world was ending at that time was fruitless; there were almost no records of anyone doing any such proclaiming during that time, although Nina had to wonder whether or not the churches had actually kept records of that or just dismissed them as the ravings of yet another fellow of the cloth gone nuts. Previous experience had taught Nina that the churches didn't really like to talk about such matters as it reflected poorly on them.

"_Just like the sexual abuse allegations are reflecting poorly on the Catholic church these days,_" she thought wryly as she left yet another church after yet another fruitless search.

Aiden had been helpful but there was only so much she could do as a ghost. Nina was on her own. A coffee and a bakery treat at a café had helped her decide her next step. She was going to have to go under-ground and somehow find that little boy.

"_My credit card isn't going to like me,_" she thought as she began making a list of what she would need. Then, after speaking to a waitress who advised her on where to get most of her gear, Nina set out, not realizing she was being followed by a tall man in a suit and over-coat, with dark hair and suspicious pale blue eyes.

Two hours later, after sending Frank an e-mail letting him know what was going on and where she was going, Nina was ready.

Anticipating trouble, dirt, and ghosts, Nina had packed well. She had dressed for warmth and comfort in jeans, long johns, a turtleneck sweater, long-sleeve undershirt, sheepskin-lined denim jacket, warm and durable leather gloves, thick socks, brand-new Merrell Phaser Rush trail boots, and a denim baseball cap. In her bag she had packed a first-aid kit, two bottles of water, plenty of granola bars and trail mix, a six volt lantern with an extra battery, a large electromagnetic energy flashlight in case the ghosts decided to drain the batteries, a two-and-a-half pound blacksmith hammer, and a bundled seventy-five feet utility rope. She carried a large 3 D-cell Maglite with LED light and extra batteries in her bag and a Leatherman Wave multi-tool tucked in her pocket. She had even invested in a compass and a map of the subways, complete with pencil. Most of her gear had come out of her credit card but it was a small price to pay to make sure she came out of the tunnels alive.

"Nina," Aiden said as she popped up next to Nina as she rode the bus towards City Hall. "I know you can't say much because you're in public, but you're being followed. Danny spotted you at the café near the NYPD and he let Flack know, along with Mac."

Nina's eyebrows furrowed in silent query about who Flack and Mac were. Aiden apparently got the silent message and answered.

"Detective Donald Flack Junior, tall guy with a mouth on him and pale blue eyes that stick out from his dark hair. You don't want to cross him when he gets mad," Aiden said. "Detective Mac Taylor, about the same height as Flack, but stockier. He's a Crime Scene Investigator and Danny's supervisor, who believes everything is connected; it's just a matter of finding the connections, especially in regards to a crime. He's also a former Marine, a mean shot, and used to be married to a lady named Claire Conrad who was killed during the nine-eleven attacks. They never found her body."

Nina nodded.

"Be careful," Aiden cautioned. "I like you and I really don't think you're ready to see things from my perspective just yet."

Nina nodded again, just as the bus stopped in front of City Hall and people started getting off. "Thanks," she whispered.

Aiden nodded and vanished, leaving Nina to begin her next step as well as figure out how to work around two nosy cops without getting herself into a world of trouble.

Based on her research of City Hall Station, there was an emergency exit somewhere around City Hall. Unfortunately the public maps weren't showing it. That wasn't a problem for Nina. During her research, a kindly ghost at one of the older churches had shown her a collection of older city maps that dated back when the City Hall Station line was being used, once she had explained what she was looking for and why. The ghost admitted that at one time he had worked on the City Hall Station before he had decided that the way of the Lord was the way for him. The map was valuable and Nina had wisely made a photocopy of it before showing it to the resident priest, who had been over-joyed at the find.

According to the old map, there was an access tunnel that lead to the City Hall Station and it was far enough away from the public area that the chances of her being spotted by cops or security guards were reasonably slim. Unfortunately it meant that she was going to have to go to the Brooklyn-Manhattan Station to get to it.

"In for a penny, in for a pound, as I like to say," she muttered as she headed for the station. She paid the fare and headed for the end of the station for the worker's access area. The trick was to try and avoid the cameras in the area and get out of the area before any security guards came running towards her.

It was a little tricky; first she had to drop her bag over the edge of the platform and act like nothing had happened. Then, when the station was practically deserted, she dropped and rolled herself before flinging herself under the lip of the station in case someone had seen her.

"_I hate doing stuff like this,_" she thought to herself. "_Sure, haunted houses are always fun, and sure, I was always the first one to volunteer to go in, but sulking around a public subway station just to find a little boy from the Volstead Act era? That's pushing it!_"

Once she was sure she hadn't been seen, Nina brought out her Maglite and shrugged into her backpack. Then she set off in the direction of the access tunnel on her map.

She was nearly there that she realized she was being followed. From what she could sense, her followers were human, not ghosts. Before she could decide what to do, her followers decided for her.

"Okay, I think that's far enough," came a firm, male voice.

Nina turned around. Behind her, flashlights in hand, were three men. She recognized Danny Messer as one of them, and suspected that the tall one on Danny's right was Detective Don Flack Junior, or Flack, as Aiden had called him. The one on Danny's left was probably Detective Mac Taylor, and all three of them were looking at her suspiciously.

"You think that's far enough?" Nina asked. "Pity; I don't. In fact, I don't think I've gone far enough at all."

"You're trespassing on restricted property," Mac said.

"Wouldn't be the first time," Nina said, shrugging as she turned on her Maglite and held it up to the level of her head. "If you're going to bust me for trespassing, do so, but I'll tell you this, I'll come back and I'll keep coming back until I find what I'm looking for."

"What are you looking for?" Danny asked.

"I don't know; I'll know when I find it but first I have to find it," Nina said.

"Who are you?" Danny demanded. "You handed me a letter and that letter knew an awful lot about me, things very few other people knew about."

"Are we talking about Ruben Sandoval?" Nina asked, watching as Danny's face went a bit pale. "I wrote that letter, Danny, and yes, I gave it to you. I even know you checked my prints and didn't find me in the system. Do yourself a favor; check the Miami-Dade College next time; I teach there."

"You're a college teacher?" Flack asked incredulously. "What the hell are you doing way out here? Getting ideas for your classes? What do you teach anyway; geology or lessons on trespassing?"

Nina glared at him. "I teach Theater Arts, wise-ass. As for trespassing, buddy, I haven't even started. And how I knew about Ruben and the stuff I wrote in the letter, I knew because he told me."

"Ruben's dead," Danny snapped.

"And so is Aiden Burns, but that didn't stop her from telling me the fastest route out of the NYPD building, or telling me that Mac is a former Marine," Nina shot back. "I see ghosts, boys. I see ghosts and they see me and they tell me all kinds of things, really nifty things sometimes."

"Ghosts don't exist," Mac shot back.

"Oh really?" Nina asked softly as she approached him. "Ghosts don't exist, huh?" She smiled sweetly and said even softer, "Let's talk about Claire Conrad. Did you know she's around? That she's been watching over you and Reed Garrett for some time now? How about the beach ball that you have yet to get rid of because it has her breath in it? Hmm? Let's talk about her." She watched in satisfaction as Mac's face went pale.


	35. Chapter 35

**A/N: **I love my laptop!! Thanks again for your kind reviews and your patience. I don't know about you guys, but I'm looking forward to the season premiers of our favorite shows...

**Chapter 35**

Nina looked Mac square in the face, not backing down an inch even as he glared at her. "Claire is around, Mac, and she's been watching over you for some time now. You can glare at me all you want, you can deny it all you want, but the truth is Claire is with you."

"You don't know what you're talking about," Mac snapped.

"Do I?" Nina asked. She flicked a glance at the brunette woman standing nearby, and the woman smiled before she started talking. As she spoke, Nina repeated. "The day Claire died, you weren't quite sure what had happened at first, but then as the news filtered in, you began to panic. What you didn't know was that Claire was already dead by the time the news reached you that the Towers had been hit; she'd been on the same floor as the one that the first jet had hit and the explosion had been so hot, so fast, she never knew what had hit her until much later. It took her time to understand what had happened, but when she finally did understand, her only thought was you."

"If you know so much about me and Claire, what did I do when I finally realized Claire was gone?" Mac demanded.

"You poured yourself a drink, a shot of whiskey to be exact, tried to drink it, but wound up trowing the glass against a wall in anger and despair. Then you sat down rather hard in the ottoman and and cried, hard," Nina said softly. "You took a pillow, hugged it tightly across your chest, and you cried like you'd never cried before, except when you'd lost your dad. You didn't cry in public when your dad died, but you did in your room, where no one could see you. You didn't even let Stella see you cry like that. Yours was a private grief." She reached up and tenderly touched his face. "When you finally went to bed that night, you tossed and turned for several hours before finally getting up and sleeping on the couch, where you spent the next several nights until you washed the sheets, the blankets, and the pillows."

"Why?" he whispered, his face having gone pale.

"Because the bed had her scent on it and every time you tried to sleep, her scent would tickle your nose, reminding you, until you couldn't handle it anymore and had to get rid of her scent just so you could get some sleep or you were going to collapse from exhaustion."

"Mac?" Flack asked gently, seeing the pain and shock on his friend's face.

"If Claire is really here, where did I ask her to marry me?" Mac asked.

Nina smiled. "On a building rooftop that was within view of the Chrysler Building. Claire's answer was to jump into your arms so hard you two wound up on the floor. Of course, that lead to a rather interesting... session, shall we say." She grinned at that.

"She's telling the truth," Mac whispered softly. "I don't know how, but she's telling the truth."

"She's proud of you, sweetie, proud of you for trying to move on because that's what she wants," Nina said, her hand moving to his shoulder. "She wants you to be happy. What you two had was good but she's dead and you're not and she wants you to keep on living. She's sorry your relationship with Peyton didn't work out as Peyton seemed like a good woman, although she's still wincing at the fact that you accidentally called Peyton 'Claire' during an argument once. If that's not the biggest faux pas you've ever done, she doesn't know what is." Mac chuckled. "She knows about Reed and about the fact that he found you and she's glad. She says he's grown up to be a good, handsome boy and she's proud of him."

"Was she there when we nearly lost him because of..." Mac asked.

"Because of the Taxi Cab Killer?" Nina asked. "Yeah, she was there when he went for that ride and listened to the woman die. She was there when he nearly died of a slit throat and she was there when you two walked out of the hospital together and called a cab. She was there, Mac. She divides her time between you and Reed these days and when it's your time to go into the Light, she'll be there."

"I miss her," Mac whispered sadly. "I miss her so badly some times."

"She knows, just like she knows it's getting easier and easier for you to let go," Nina said. "When she's ready, she'll move on into the Light but for now she's content to hang around."

"The Light?" Mac asked, puzzled by the term.

"Heaven is another word for it, but when someone is ready to move on, they see a bright light that has been described as being warm and comforting, usually with loved ones waiting for them in the light," Nina explained. She looked at Danny and Flack, who were staring at her with their jaws hanging open. "To quote a good movie, I see dead people, guys, and I see 'em all the time. I've helped a lot of people, both dead and alive, and I plan on continuing to do so."

"So who's down here?" Flack asked.

"A little boy from the 1920's, based on the way he was dressed. He said Reverend Cameron claimed the world was going to end and that his father, or papa, as he called him, said Reverend Cameron would save them," Nina explained. "I wasn't able to find Reverend Cameron in any of the church archives, and believe me, my research was quite through."

"What makes you think this kid is down here?" Danny asked.

"Because when I asked him where he was, he said he was near City Hall Station, but my research says the station closed in 1945," Nina said.

"It did. You know about the number six train?" Danny asked.

"I do. I also know that the station is only used as an emergency exit these days," Nina said. "However, I suspect that the station is holding more than just a closed line. I think it's holding something else and I intend to find out what."

"How are you going to do that without getting lost?" Mac asked, struggling to recover from the shock Nina had given him.

Nina showed them her maps. "Like I said, ghosts tell me all kinds of things, and in this case, I met a ghost who used to work the City Hall Station when it was being built before the guy turned to the way of the Lord."

"These are originals?" Danny demanded incredulously.

"Photocopies," Nina clarified. "The originals I turned over to the priest of the church where I found the maps in the first place."

Flack whistled in amazement. "That is some help."

"The stuff I find these days..." Nina said. "Look, I don't know about you, but I'm going to find the little boy and I'm going to figure out what is going on and why he's down here. You're welcome to come with me or you can try and arrest me for trespassing, but I'm going to do what I have to do."

"It's easy to get hurt down here," Mac cautioned her.

"Which is why I've got rope, flashlights with extra batteries, a first aid kit, and a few other things," Nina said. "I'm from Miami; I know how to pack for survival."

The three men looked at each other and then Danny shrugged. "I've never been one to back away from a mystery," he said.

"Same here," Mac said.

"I do not like ghosts," Flack muttered, "but I've never been through these tunnels before."

"The same ghost that showed me these maps also showed me a service tunnel that will take us to City Hall Station without running into anyone or having the risk of trains hitting us," Nina said. "That's why I'm here instead of way over there."

"Lead on," Mac said. He didn't know what to make of Nina or her talent, but he was determined to find out more about her and more about what was going on, one way or another. The look on Danny's face said the same thing and Flack wasn't that far behind.


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter 36**

Before they went too much further and lost any signal for their cell phones, Mac called Stella Bonasera and let her know they were investigating something near the City Hall Station line. If she didn't hear from him again in about two hours, she was to call for help.

Nina lead the way, map in hand. It didn't take them long to find the access tunnel mentioned on the map. There was only one problem; it was padlocked.

"Thing looks pretty rusty," Danny commented, studying the lock.

"Hence the hammer," Nina said, setting her bag down and removing the blacksmith hammer. The lock was not only rusty, it was also old and it didn't stand up to the hammer in the slightest.

"You look a little too comfortable doing that," Flack commented, watching as Nina pried open the door.

She grunted. "Been seeing ghosts most of my life and that meant that when it came to so-called haunted houses and haunted cemeteries and haunted what-not, I was always the first one in, even in those 'No Trespassing' places."

"So ghosts don't scare you?" Danny asked.

"Not in the sense that I get the heebie-jeebies, no," Nina said. "I have had the hell scared out of me on more than one occasion though."

"Why are they here?" Mac asked as they moved through the now-open tunnel.

Nina shrugged. "Most have unfinished business, sometimes they're confused about what happened to them, others are angry or frightened and have trouble finding peace. And others, well, they simply don't have any other place to be at the moment and are quite content where they are."

"What about Ruben?" Danny asked.

"Ruben was confused at first and then he was worried about you and his mom," Nina explained. "He also wasn't quite sure how to get to the other side until I showed him how."

"Did he move on?" Danny asked.

"Once he told me what he wanted to tell you, yes he did," Nina said. "He's at peace now and you'll see him either in your dreams or when it's your time."

They emerged from the tunnel and found themselves on the tracks of City Hall Station.

"Okay, what are we looking for here?" Mac asked, sweeping his light around as he remembered an incident involving Andy Davis, also known as Drew Bedford, when he had been stalked by him with the numbers 333, until until Mac had been dragged back to Chicago to face old memories. On his return to New York, Drew had kidnapped him and set up a trap for his co-workers at City Hall Station.

"Brings back memories, huh?" Flack asked, looking around. He'd been part of the group to rescue Mac from Drew Bedford, with the help of Jimmy Davis, Drew's older brother.

"Memories I'd like to forget," Mac muttered.

"I'm looking for a ghost kid, you guys are looking for anything out of the ordinary," Nina said, shining her light around slowly.

"Hi!" a little boy's voice suddenly said. Nina spun around, spotting the boy from her dream.

"Hi sweetie," Nina said. "My name is Nina. What's yours?"

"Joseph, but you can call me Joe," the little boy said.

"Okay, Joe," Nina said. She looked at the three men who were looking at her as if trying to decide whether or not she was off her rocker or not. "There's a little boy in front of me whose name is Joe," she explained.

"There's a ghost here?" Danny asked, trying to see what Nina was seeing.

"Thought I felt the temperature drop," Flack muttered, tugging his coat around him a bit more.

To Nina, he seemed a bit jumpy. She turned her attention back to the boy. "Joe, are you down here by yourself?" she asked.

"Nope; Papa's here too and so are a bunch of others," Joe said. "They're just too scared to come out."

"_Are not!_" a little girl said indignantly. Nina's eyebrows shot up as a little girl a bit younger than Joe emerged from the shadows, her blonde hair in curls around her face. "I just don't want Reverend Cameron catching us!"

"And you are?" Nina asked.

"I'm Anna Saunders," Anna said. "How come you're down here?"

"Looking for you, actually," Nina said. "Who is Reverend Cameron?"

"He's a minister who says the world's gonna end so we got to stay down here where it's safe and the Lord will protect us," Anna said.

"He's scary," Joe said. Anna nodded in agreement.

"Hey, how come you can see us and they can't?" Anna demanded, referring to Nina's companions.

"I don't know," Nina said. "Call it a quirk, call it a curse, a gift, whatever you want, the fact of the matter is I'm here and the world most definitely did not end."

"Oh yeah?" Anna snapped. "Prove it!"

Nina took out the current map of New York City and unfolded it completely, laying it on the ground. She then placed the older map next to it. "This map dates to the early 1900's," she explained, shining her light on the map and watching as the children crouched down to study the maps. "It shows City Hall Station as it was being built before it shut down in 1945. This map," she said indicating the bigger map, "is the current subway map and it dates at the beginning of the year 2008."

"It's huge!" Joe breathed, eyes wide.

"And growing all the time," Nina said. "Reverend Cameron is wrong, sweetie; the world hasn't ended."

"I gotta show Papa!" Joe exclaimed excitedly.

But Anna was worried. "Reverend Cameron isn't going to like this," she said. "He gets scary when he gets mad."

Nina looked at her and said, "I'll let you in on a little secret; angry men of the cloth don't scare me in the slightest."

"How come?" Anna asked.

"Because, in the end, they're just as human as you and me and I find that the ones that shout and rant, they're usually full of hot air and not worth listening to," Nina said.

"And the quiet ones?" Mac asked, feeling as if he was listening in on a phone conversation.

"Those are the ones you listen to because when they speak, they have something worth hearing," Nina said.

"You're not scared of Reverend Cameron?" Anna asked hopefully.

"He hasn't given me a reason to be scared of him," Nina assured her.

Anna studied her for a moment then said excitedly, "I wanna show Mama the map!"

"Then lead the way," Nina said, standing up and folding her maps. "We'll follow you on one condition; no going through walls! We can't do that!"

"Fair enough," Joe said excitedly. "C'mon!" And he and Anna took off down the tunnel, Nina following and Mac, Flack, and Danny not far behind.

As they trotted through the tunnel, Nina quickly brought the men up to date.

"This Reverend Cameron sounds like a handful," Danny said.

"Not the first one, doubt he'll be the last one," Nina said.

"So let me get this straight; we're following two kid ghosts who were led to believe that the world was going to end only they found out it hasn't?" Flack asked, struggling to comprehend what was going on.

"Not in the last hundred years, no," Nina said.

"And now they want to show the 2008 subway map to their parents as proof the world hasn't ended?" Flack asked.

"That's about the gist of it, yes," Nina said.

"I don't know whether to laugh, cry, or run like hell in the opposite direction," Flack said, causing Mac and Danny to grin and chuckle.

"I wouldn't advise running," Nina said, keeping a straight face. "It's a good way to get lost and I don't think you want to join the other ghosts down here; there's too many as it is."

Flack glared at her. "You're cute, you know that?"

Nina just grinned. "You think I'm bad, you should meet my boyfriend; he's worse."

Up ahead, Anna and Joe stopped in front of a portion of the tunnel wall. "We're in here," Joe said as the group joined them.

Mac studied the wall, playing his light over the bricks. "Looks like someone bricked this section up from within."

Nina scowled; an internal brick closure was never a good sign as far as she was concerned. "So we bring it down," she said.

"What do you think we'll find?" Danny asked.

"It's not what I _think_ we'll find, it's what I _know_ we'll find," Nina said grimly.

"And that is?" Flack asked.

"Bodies," Nina replied as she took out her hammer again. "Usually is in a situation like this."

"I so do love my job," Flack muttered.


	37. Chapter 37

**A/N:** thanks again for your wonderful reviews and your patience. I am going to be a good girl and not do any studying on Friday and Saturday, just to give myself a mental break and then it's back to the books on Sunday!

**Chapter 37**

As the group studied the wall, looking for any cracks or weaknesses, an elderly man emerged from the shadows near Nina, causing her to jump back in surprise.

"Sorry to scare you, ma'am," the ghost said politely, hands in the pockets of his overalls, "but are you trying to help the poor kids in there?"

Nina held up a hand, letting the men know they had another visitor. "And if I said 'yes', then what?"

"Then I think I can help you," the ghost said.

"Okay, I'm listening," Nina said.

"The yahoo who did this, he bribed my boss pretty heavily to let him dig into the earth and I watched as they sealed the doorway," the ghost said. "Boss said to leave 'em alone; they wanna die so much, ain't much we can do to about it."

"But you thought differently," Nina guessed.

"Dang right I did," the ghost said. "Figured I'd give 'em a few days and then bust 'em outta there."

"How come you didn't?" Nina asked.

"Ticker did a number on me," the ghost said, scowling.

Nina winced in sympathy. "Ouch."

The ghost continued. "Anyway, 'afore I died, I tucked a sledgehammer down here so the Transit Authority wouldn't catch me carryin' a tool with me an' bust me for it. It's still down here an' I reckon it's a dang sight bigger than your bitty hammer."

"Where is it?" Nina asked. He pointed to a ledge near the tracks. The ledge was roughly six feet up and, like the rest of the tunnel, shrouded in shadow. "We may have a bit of help," Nina explained to the group. She indicated Flack, who seemed a bit taller than Mac or Danny, and said, "You want to reach up there and see what you can find?"

"What am I looking for?" Flack asked, going over to the ledge. "Besides spiders and dust, that is."

"A heavy-duty sledgehammer, hidden here by an old-timer when Reverend Cameron sealed the door," Nina said. "He says the reverend bribed his boss big time to let them dig into the earth and watched as they sealed the door. He planned to go back a few days later and rescue the kids but his heart got to him first."

Flack carefully felt around the ledge and encountered what felt like a cloth-covered object. "Got something up here but I can't see what. Don't exactly want to pull it down and risk something cracking my head."

Nina managed to refrain herself from making a rather rude remark but she heard Danny snicker, earning himself a glare from Flack.

"You could always give me a leg-up and I'll have a look," Nina suggested.

"In that case, Danny..." Flack said. Danny came over and the two men laced their hands together for a foot-rest for Nina. She was lifted up to about waist-height, enabling her to see what was on the ledge easily enough.

"What did you do; eat the whole buffet for lunch?" Danny griped good-naturedly.

Reaching for the oil-cloth-covered object, Nina debated whether or not to kick Danny. Deciding it wouldn't be worth the ensuing accident, she settled for a glare. "Aiden was right about you," she said instead, grabbing the object and pulling it towards her.

"Oh?" Danny asked curiously.

"Yeah," Nina said as she hopped down, object in hand. "She said your mouth was bigger than your mind and if you weren't careful, you were going to find someone's foot in it."

Flack sniggered and Mac grinned. "That sounds like Aiden," Mac said.

"And we have one heavy-duty sledgehammer," Nina said, unwrapping the object. She stood well away from the men and took an experimental swing to make sure the head stayed on the handle; it did. "Who wants to do the honors?" she asked.

"I'll take first crack," Mac offered. "Then when I get tired, someone can take over."

"The problem we have is we don't know how thick the wall is," Danny said.

"I can answer that," the ghost said. "I saw 'em carting enough bricks for at least two, maybe three layers."

"Two, possibly three layers," Nina repeated. The men looked at her incredulously. She shrugged. "Hey, I'm just repeating what I was told."

As Mac attacked the wall, he admitted, "You said you were from Miami. I've been there; it's a nice city." He grunted as the sledgehammer hit home with a satisfying _THUNK_.

"It's home," Nina said. "How come you were in Miami?" she asked.

"Chasing after a murder named Henry Darius," Mac said, grunting again as he swung. This hit caused a fair portion of the wall to crumble inwards. Mac swung again and the hole opened wider. Taking a flashlight, he shined it inside the hole. "Yup, there's another wall," he reported. "If we can make this hole big enough, we can go after the next wall."

"There's another wall further down," Joe admitted, to which Nina relayed.

"Oh joy," Flack muttered.

"You didn't have to come along," Nina pointed out.

"'What? And miss all the excitement? Not a chance," Flack said.

"You think this is excitement? Wait until we actually get to where the kids and the parents are and we have to deal with Reverend Cameron," Nina said. "Something tells me he won't go gently into the light."

"The light?" Anna asked. "What's that?"

"The light, sweetie, is a wonderful place, or so I've been told. Others who've gone before you, they all describe it as being warm, peaceful, and happy," Nina said. "You'll see it when you're ready and when you do, don't be afraid of it; the light won't hurt you."

"Have you been there?" Joe asked.

"No," Nina said. "I can't see it either; only those who are ready to cross over can see it."

Because the tunnel entrance wasn't that big, it didn't take Mac long to get through it and clear it out enough to reach the next wall. After that, Danny took over and, just like the first wall, it didn't take long to get through. Nina lead the way, flashlight in hand, as the tunnel was only big enough for one person at a time. "Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to hunt a ghost we go," she muttered.

"Are you always this cheerful when you're doing this?" Flack asked, having heard the comment.

Nina just grinned. Flack was jumpy and it was starting to show in his voice; she could spot those kinds of people a mile away. Sure, they played big, tough, and 'You don't scare me' but dangle a rubber spider in front of them and they screamed like girls. She couldn't help but wonder, though, what was at the end of the tunnel and what she was walking into. Sure, she had a pretty good idea, but an idea and actually knowing were two different things. She reached up and rubbed her good luck charm, a gold Celtic cross decorated with semi-precious stones, for comfort and strength as she had a feeling she was going to need every bit of help she could get.


	38. Chapter 38

**A/N:** once again thanks for your kind reviews and happy reading.

**Chapter 38**

Nina took a slow, deep breath, trying to gather her nerves. She was about to go head-on with a bunch of ghosts and that always took something out of her. To be perfectly honest, she was afraid. "_Well,_" she thought, "_like that guy from that last Matrix movie said, knuckle up._" "You guys may want to hand me the sledgehammer and then back up," she told the men. "This is going to get messy and I don't want to hit anyone."

Wordlessly, the hammer was handed to her and then Mac, Danny, and Flack backed off so they were out of range of the hammer. Danny kept the lantern trained on the wall so she could see what she was doing but stayed out of her reach.

She grunted as she swung the hammer and it connected to the wall solidly. The wall gave. "Joe and Anna?" Nina asked.

"Yeah?" Joe asked.

"Tell your parents (grunt) we're coming in (grunt) and we mean no harm. Tell them (grunt) the world hasn't ended (grunt) and we have proof. Tell them (grunt) it's time to move (grunt) into the Light," she instructed the children, grunting each time she swung the hammer.

Anna and Joe nodded seriously and vanished.

"You're almost through," Danny said.

Nina swung the hammer once more and the wall gave, crumbling away in a shower of brick, dust, and stale air. Breathing hard from the exertion, she set the hammer down against the wall and gestured for the lantern, which Danny handed her. "Ready or not, here we come," she muttered.

She stepped into the room...

and found herself facing at least twenty ghosts, mostly adults and a combination of male and female.

"What the hell?" Danny breathed as he followed her before moving aside to let Mac and Flack enter the room. What the hell was right. The room they were in was reasonably large, large enough to accommodate about two dozen people. In orderly rows were wooden benches and what looked like a wooden pulpit at the head of the room. Four rooms appeared to branch off and old light fixtures could be seen hanging from the ceiling.

Not seeing the ghosts, Flack and Danny and Mac branched off to check out the rooms. It was in the second room, the one adjacent to the pulpit, that had Flack swearing loudly. Throwing a glance at the ghosts, Nina joined Mac and Danny and stood at the doorway, staring.

The room turned out to be some kind of meal hall, with orderly benches and tables. On the benches and the floor were the mummified remains of nearly two dozen people; men, women, and children.

"Please," Nina mumbled, her heart beating faster, "please don't let there be any babies here."

"It doesn't look like it," Mac assured her, sweeping his light around.

"What happened to them?" she asked.

"There doesn't appear to be any visible wounds or injuries," Danny reported, studying some of the bodies up close.

"They look like they all sat down to breakfast or something and something went wrong," Nina said, looking at the items on the table. Cups were scattered about and the empty plates and utensils looked like they had been pushed about. There were a few people on the floor but most were still seated on the benches, either slumped against each other or on the table.

Taking out his latex gloves and putting them on, Mac picked up one of the metal cups and sniffed at it. It was faint but it was there; a faint, bitter almond-type smell. "Cyanide," he said. "They drank cyanide."

"It was fast, I hope," Nina said, not liking the idea of the children suffering through a poisoning.

"Acute cyanide poisoning is pretty fast and it affects the heart but it can affect the brain and cause seizures or comas," Mac said. "That could explain why there are some people on the floor."

"Why?" Nina whispered sadly. "Why did they die like this? There was no need to."

"Nina," came Joe's quiet voice. She looked down and spotted him standing beside her. "I'm over here," he said, moving to one of the benches and indicating the body of a small child leaning against what Nina assumed was his father. The body wore the same clothing that she could see Joe wearing, right down to his cap, which she spotted on his lap. The body of a girl Nina deuced to be Anna, sat next to him, slumped over the table, her hand loosely clutching the cup. Next to her sat a female Nina deuced to be her mother.

Nina went over to Joe and Anna's remains, her eyes filling with tears. "Oh, baby, I knew I might find you, but I didn't think I'd find you quite like this," she whispered sadly.

"Nina, is that Joe and Anna?" Danny asked. She nodded. "Damn."

"What's going on here?" a male ghost demanded, coming to stand next to Joe. "Why are you here?"

"This is Nina," Joe said, taking his father's hand. "She can see us and she says the world didn't end and she can prove it too."

"What do you mean?" the man asked, puzzled. "Reverend Cameron said the world would end and we would be safe down here until such a time that a sign was shown to us that it was safe to emerge again."

"Sir, when did you come down here?" Nina asked.

"December 31st, 1903," the man said, bringing his son closer to him.

"The world didn't end, sir," Nina said. "In fact, it's gone on. It's August 16th, 2008 right now," she said, "and yes, the world is still pretty scary but it's a big, bright world full of things you'd never thought possible."

"Show him the map," Joe encouraged her.

Nina brought out the subway map and laid it on the table. Joe's father studied it and several other people crowded around it, exclaiming.

"Is Lady Liberty still in the harbor?" one man asked.

"She had a massive repair job done in the early 1980's but yeah, she's still there and still standing," Nina said. She looked around at the gathering crowd and said, "Look, ladies and gentlemen, the world didn't end. It's still out there and it's huge."

"Who are they?" one woman asked, indicating Mac, Flack, and Danny, who were poking around the eating area.

"They're friends and members of the New York Police Department. They're good, honest men and they followed me down here to try and help me find you," Nina said.

"And that's not all we found," Mac said, studying a body seated at the head of the table at what Nina assumed was the front of the room. "I'd say we just found Reverend Cameron."

And at that announcement, the room temperature suddenly dropped drastically. Nina's head snapped around and Danny and Flack suddenly looked up from their examination of the room.

"That's not all we found," Nina said, scanning the room and watching as the ghost children suddenly began huddling closer to their parents and the adults began to back away from the map on the table.

"_GET OUT!_" a voice suddenly roared, causing everyone to jump, even the three men.

And with that, Nina found herself being flung across the room violently, to slam against a nearby wall.


	39. Chapter 39

**A/N:** on a bit of a roll here...

**Chapter 39**

"_Frank is so going to kill me_," Nina thought, her head spinning from having made contact with a very solid wall. "_I promised him I'd try and avoid situations like this. Har._"

Danny had rushed over to her and was now helping her up. "What the hell just happened?" he demanded.

"Reverend Cameron decided to say 'hello'," Nina said, standing up and rubbing the back of her head. "He told us to get out."

"Not until we know what happened here," Mac said, a determined look on his face. "These people ingested cyanide and I want to know why."

"I'll go along with that," Flack said, looking around nervously. "But can we avoid having Nina flung around like a toy doll again?"

Nina grunted. "Not the first time I've been flung around; that's how I met my boyfriend," she said.

"You lead a very interesting life," Danny quipped.

"You ain't seen nuthin' yet," Nina said, looking around. "Hey, Reverend!" she shouted. "If that's your way of trying to scare me, you did a lousy job of it! I met a priest in Miami that could put you to shame!"

"Don't anger him like that!" Joe whimpered, clearly afraid of Reverend Cameron.

"He can't hurt me," Nina assured him. "Much," she muttered to herself.

"We have to go back to the surface and call an archeology team down here," Mac said. "This place is a time-capsule dating back to the 1920's."

That gave Nina an idea and she moved towards the entrance, where the main room was. The reverend apparently decided to give her a hand and Nina found herself being flung across the room, crashing into a row of benches. Mac, Flack, and Danny chased after her but before they could get close to her, Flack went flying towards the pulpit, Danny found himself being flung into one of the rooms adjacent of the dinning room, and Mac hit the wall beside the entrance. Everyone lay where they were, dazed, and the men confused. Nina just plain got mad.

"You sonovabitch," she muttered, staggering up and dusting herself off. "You call yourself a reverend?" she yelled. "Reverends are supposed to be men of peace! Not nut-jobs like you! C'mon, Reverend, show yourself! What are you hiding for? Huh? Come on, you coward! I'll bet you can do that again!" The reverend's apparent answer was to fling Nina straight at Flack, who had managed to stand up. The pair of them went crashing to the floor.

"Why are you provoking him like this?" Flack muttered as he and Nina lay against each other on the floor, in a tangle of limbs.

Nina gave a short, painful laugh. "Because it requires energy for him to do stunts like this and he can't keep it up forever. Sooner or later, he's gonna have to manifest and even that is going to take energy, energy he won't have if he keeps flinging us around." She groaned and pushed herself off the detective, flopping on the floor. "And to think I've got class starting in about two weeks, if Frank doesn't kill me first, that is."

"Frank?" Mac asked, coming over to the pair of them to help them up, joined by Danny.

"Frank Tripp, my boyfriend in Miami," Nina explained, accepting the hand from Danny as Flack was helped up by Mac.

"Detective Frank Tripp of the Miami-Dade police?" Mac asked.

"Not any more. He made Sergeant recently," Nina said. "You know him?"

"A good man; he called me to let me know about Henry Darius and invited me to come down and help catch the bastard," Mac said.

Then Nina spotted something. "Well, well, well. Wondering when you'd show up, _Reverend_," Nina said sarcastically.

Reverend Cameron was a short, pudgy little fellow dressed in what looked like a tweed suit. He was clean-shaven but had a receding hairline and right now he was radiating anger.

"How dare you come in here?" he shouted.

"Give it a rest, Rev," Nina said tiredly. "I was told that these people were told that the world was going to end and that they came in here in December of 1903. It's August of 2008, babycakes, and the world most definitely hasn't ended. Although, get between me and my coffee first thing in the morning and you're gonna wish the world had ended," she said. Mac and Flack grinned and Danny sniggered.

"I know the feeling," Flack said, grinning.

"She showed us a map, Reverend," a man said, stepping forward from the shadows. "New York City has grown since we came down here."

"She lies!" Reverend Cameron yelled.

"Where's that stupid bag of mine?" Nina muttered, flashing her light around. She spotted it near the entrance and went over to it, ignoring everyone else. Digging around, she pulled out her back-up flashlight and shook it a few times. "Electromagnetic energy flashlight; gotta love it," she said before switching it on.

"I love those things," Danny said.

"What is electromagnetic energy?" a woman asked curiously, emerging from the shadows to stand beside the man.

"What is the definition of electromagnetic energy, in terms of how my flashlight works, guys?" Nina asked cheerfully. She had a pretty good idea of the answer but wanted more of a scientific answer.

Danny came over and she handed the flashlight to him for him to study. "Inside your flashlight is a magnet, a coil of wire, and a capacitor, which stores energy. When you shake the flashlight, the magnet moves back and forth between the coil of wire, generating electricity, which is then stored in the capacitor. When you turn the flashlight on, the energy in the capacitor goes to the bulb and _viola_! Let there be light! They're normally called Faraday Flashlights, after the guy who came up with the concept in the early 1930's," he said. "They've been around for years but they were a bit expensive until recently. Now they're becoming quite popular and a bit cheaper."

"The point of this, ladies and gentlemen, is an example of how far technology has come in the last century," Nina said. "I'm not even going to go into the realm of phones, medical technology, transportation, crime scene investigation, and so forth."

"What about the Volstead Act?" one man asked, stepping forward.

"The Volstead Act?" Nina asked, glancing at Mac or Flack for information. "I know they abolished back in the 1930's."

"December 5th, 1933," Mac said. "The Twenty-first Amendment made the Eighteenth Amendment unconstitutional."

Nina looked around as the number of people in the room grew. She spotted Joe and Anna near the front, looking at her anxiously. She gestured at Flack and Mac to join her and she faced the growing crowd. "Look, I don't know why you people ingested what smelled like cyanide, or why you thought the world was going to end, but the fact of the matter remains that the world hasn't ended; it's gone on," she said.

Reverend Cameron suddenly appeared in front of her and swung. Nina felt her head snapping back and she staggered back at the force of the blow. Mac and Danny caught her in time and Flack stepped in front of her. "Okay wise-guy, that's enough!" he snapped, looking around at the seemingly empty room. "I don't know why you decided to get friendly with cyanide; that's between you and God; but stop attacking Nina! If you were alive, I'd have you arrested for aggravated assault!" He looked back at Nina, who was wiping blood from a cut on her mouth and quipped, "Can you arrest a ghost?"

She grinned and said, "It would make putting cuffs on a bit of a bitch," she pointed out.

"Damn," Flack said. "Good point."

"The Lord spoke to me!" Reverend Cameron shouted. "I have heard His words! He has chosen me to save His children!" He raised his arms dramatically and the crowd drew back in fear. Nina just rolled her eyes.

"Get a grip!" she snapped. "You've got what, twenty-three, twenty-four people dead? I'm betting Joe and Anna didn't ask to die. In fact, I'm betting that if it hadn't been for you, they'd still be alive by now and chances are, I'd be teaching their kids."

"We're dead?" one woman, an elderly woman, whispered hoarsely, not believing it.

"Quite, I'm afraid," Nina said gently. "And so is this moron who claims to be a Reverend. Did you know I checked the church archives and I could find no record of him?"

"You lie!" Reverend Cameron yelled again. Flack found himself being shoved out of the way and Nina found herself airborne again. This time she hit the wall beside the pulpit and crumpled to the floor in a heap.

"_Frank's going to kill me, if this asshole doesn't kill me first_," Nina thought, groaning in pain.

"Stop this!" Mac shouted angrily. "Stop this right now!" His reward for that was to go flying as well, only he hit the entrance to one of the other rooms.

"Leave them alone!" Joe shouted angrily, appearing in front of Nina and facing the reverend, fists at his side and ready to attack the bigger man if he thought it would help.

"Reverend, that's enough!" Joe's father shouted, stepping forward. "You claim to be a man of peace, yet I hear you used cyanide on us and we're all dead!"

"And you're hurting Nina and her friends!" Anna shouted.

"They're interlopers, sinners! They will lead you astray, away from the path of God!" Reverend Cameron shouted, shaking his fist at them.

"Killing someone takes you right off the path, buster," Nina groaned, standing up, or rather, trying to. Flack went to her and carefully helped her up. "I am so glad I've got that first aid kit in the bag," she muttered, holding her head.

"Is there aspirin in the kit?" he asked.

She nodded. "And water," she said.

Mac and Danny emerged from the room that Mac had been flung into. Mac was holding what appeared to be a leather ledger. "Look what I just found; a record book with names in it, along with birth-dates, marriage dates, death-dates, and addresses at the time of death. I'm betting the names will match up with the people in the dinning room."

"Ma'am," said Joe's father, stepping forward to her, "my name is Andrew Smith. I believe you've already met my son, Joe."

"Pleased to meet you," Nina said. "The gentlemen that are with me are Detective Don Flack, Detective Mac Taylor, and Danny Messer, all of the New York Police Department."

"Likewise," Andrew said. "I lost my wife, Sara, when Joe was four and I missed her badly. I guess I was just looking for something, I don't know, to help me deal with the pain of loosing my wife."

"I understand," Nina said, wincing as she sat down on one of the benches. She accepted the water and the aspirin that Flack handed her as she watched Danny and Mac pour over the record book. "I lost my son a few years ago and my husband and I divorced as a result. My son went into the Light and he blamed me for letting him go. It took me some time to stop hurting quite so much and accept what had happened, but for the first year or so, I buried myself in my teaching. It's only recently that I've begun to stop doing that quite to the extent that I was. I think it helps that I've found someone who makes me want to look up from my job and my talent," she explained.

Andrew nodded. "You said the world has changed, that it's gone on."

Nina nodded. "It's had it's growing pains but yeah, it's gone on. If you want, you can follow us up to the surface and see for yourself and then when you're ready, you can go into the Light, where Sara is probably waiting for you."

"Don't listen to her! She lies!" Reverend Cameron shouted but the others began to speak up.

"I want to see the surface again!" a young woman pipped up.

"Me too!" said the young man standing beside her.

"We'll lead you to the surface," Nina promised them.

"What is the Light?" Andrew asked.

Nina smiled. "It's heaven, sir; it's heaven."


	40. Chapter 40

**A/N: **once again thanks for the kind reviews and your patience. Decided to try for a double-shot this time.

**Chapter 40**

"So what are we going to do?" Flack asked, rubbing the back of his neck as he felt something brush the fine hairs of his neck.

"Go back to the surface and let them follow us," Nina said. "You guys deal with the bodies and this place and I'll deal with the ghosts."

"We have the names of the people who died here," Mac said, indicating the leather book he'd discovered in one of the rooms, "but figuring out who's who is going to be a bit tricky as there's no photographs to match the names."

"That's always the fun part," Nina quipped. "But I don't think that's going to be much of an issue. Can you still determine whether or not cyanide was used to poison them?"

"We can test the cups and the victims," Danny said, "which will probably wind up happening anyway. This is a crime scene, abet an old one, but a crime scene nether the less."

"Okay ladies and gentlemen, here's how it is!" Nina said, addressing the unseen crowd. "We need to return to the surface to alert the proper authorities that there are bodies down here. You are welcome to come with me and see for yourself the world above or you can stay here in the darkness; it's your choice. You can chose to listen to Reverend Cameron or you can take a chance and follow us."

The trip back to the surface was an interesting one. With the exception of Reverend Cameron, all of the ghosts from the underground room were with them, even the old-timer who had given them his sledgehammer. They had left Reverend Cameron ranting and raving about sinners and the word of God and so-forth.

When they emerged outside of Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall Station, everyone's cell phones started going off as the signals finally got through. For Nina, her caller was Eric Delko.

"Hey Eric,what's up?" she asked the Russian-Cuban CSI.

"Hey Nina, I'm sorry to bother you," Eric began. "I was hoping you might know something." His voice sounded tired.

"About?"

"Horatio. Have you seen him?"

About two weeks after Eric, Ryan, and Horatio had solved Amy Holmberg's murder, Horatio had been shot and killed. His death had rocked the MDPD and the crime lab and nearly three months later, his killer still had not been caught. What made things hard for Nina was that she had spoken to him about two days before his death, having just found out about her trip to New York.

Nina knew for a fact that Horatio's friends and family were still reeling from the loss, desperately searching for answers to a senseless crime. She had been one of the ones Eric, Frank, Calleigh, even Natalia and Alexx, had turned to for answers, answers she didn't have.

Nina sighed heavily, regretfully. "No, Eric, I'm sorry, sweetie; I haven't seen him. I haven't even felt him and believe me when I say that if I even thought I had, you guys would be the first to know, I promise."

Eric sighed heavily. "Yeah, I know. It's just..." he chuckled tiredly. "Hell, I'm probably just tired."

"Eric," Nina said gently, "talk to me."

"Have you ever lost anyone?" he asked.

Nina went over to one of the benches and sat down, placing her bag beside her feet. "I lost my son."

"I didn't know you had a son."

"Four years ago. Still hurts, and my husband divorced me because of it, but yeah, I had a son and I miss him every day."

"Do you still see him?"

"No; he went into the Light shortly after his death."

"Do you think that's what Horatio did? That he moved on?"

"It's possible."

Eric sighed heavily again. "I've got to be going out of my mind, Nina."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because sometimes it feels like I can feel him watching us, or I'll see someone who looks like him out of the corner of my eye, only it's not him. It's just, it feels like he hasn't really left," he admitted heavily.

Nina thought about her next words carefully. "Eric, Horatio, Horatio was a leader and he lead by doing, by trying to set an example. Isn't that right?"

"Yeah, he did."

"He believed in you, just like he believed in Ryan, Natalia, Maxine, Calleigh, and even Tim and Alexx," she said.

"He was there when we needed him and he never turned his back on us, even when we screwed up."

"And now you have to be there for each other, just like he tried to be there for you," she said. "He's with you, maybe not in ghost form, but when you hear his words whispering through your mind, when you remember him and you try to live up to and hold to the standards he set, he's with you. Remember his friendship, remember his lessons, remember his courage; remember those and he will always be with you."

Eric was silent for so long Nina was afraid they'd lost the connection, but then he sighed heavily. "Yeah, you're right, Nina, you're right. I guess I just needed to hear it."

"I understand."

"I'll tell the others what you told me and we'll try to get through this, together," he said. "It's what H. would have wanted."

"Yes, it is."

"Thanks, Nina."

"Any time." She ended the connection and Mac came up to her.

"Problems?" he asked.

"Eh," she replied. "Eric Delko; he's not handling Horatio's death too well and from the sounds of it, neither are other members of the team."

Mac nodded. "Horatio's death was a bit of a shock. I'm assuming you met him through Frank?"

"No, actually, it was Alexx Woods, my next-door neighbor and the medical examiner, before she quit that is."

"Why?"

"Decided she needed to spend more time amongst the living instead of the dead."

Mac nodded. "How are our new friends?"

She tossed him a look. "So you believe in ghosts, huh?"

"Lets just say I'm willing to keep an open mind on it."

"Best way to go," Nina said. "Okay, I'm going to show my friends a view of New York City and try to help them move on. Any ideas?"

Before Mac could speak, Flack spoke as he and Danny joined them.

"I could give you a lift to Battery Park, which will get you the ferry to Liberty Island and Ellis Island Immigration Museum. It's also pretty close to Castle Clinton National Monument," he said. Mac and Danny stared at him and he shrugged. "What? It's my day off and I feel like playing tourist."

Nina studied Flack for a moment, her instincts telling her something was up. "If you don't mind driving, I'll pay for the ferry fare to the islands and coffee."

Flack smiled widely. "A girl after my own heart; I never turn down free coffee."

"What about the ghosts?" Danny asked.

"They'll find me now that they've attached themselves to me," Nina explained. "It's a homing beacon kind of thing."

"That's a scary thought," Flack quipped.

"Welcome to my life," Nina shot back.


	41. Chapter 41

**Chapter 41**

As Flack drove with Nina in the passenger seat and her bag in the trunk of his car, he thought.

He had been badly injured in a bomb explosion some time ago; had almost died if it weren't for Mack doing some very fast battlefield surgery on him and literally getting his hands inside Flack's stomach. Mac had been caught in the same explosion as he but he hadn't been injured as badly.

Flack had survived, of course, not just physically, but mentally. He'd done his time with the department shrink to deal with his post-traumatic stress and the fun of his physiotherapy; he'd done all that. He'd yammered his head off to his shrink until he'd been cleared to return to active duty.

But he hadn't told the shrink everything.

He hadn't spoken about the darkness he'd seen, or the warm light that seemed to beckon him. He hadn't spoken about the soft voice that had coaxed him to come back, telling him it wasn't his time to leave yet.

No, he hadn't spoken about that at all, simply because he hadn't understood.

He hadn't died but he had been close. It had been touch and go for a bit, he'd been told. That had left him wondering just what had happened.

Then Nina had arrived and had realized that Nina probably knew more about death than anyone else he knew, and he sure as heck wasn't talking medical examiner-wise. No, Nina's area of expertise seemed to be the spiritual aspect of death and it was _that_ that Flack needed help understanding.

It was while they were approaching Battery Park that Nina spoke up.

"What gives, Don?" she asked, not looking at him.

"What do you mean?" he asked, playing innocent.

"When it comes to showing me around New York with a bunch of ghosts in tow, most guys would've told me where to go and how to get there," she replied.

He grinned and said, "I'm not most guys."

"No you're not; I'll give you full credit for that." He stopped at a red light and she took the opportunity to gently turn his face towards her by nudging his chin. "But I'm not just a ghost counselor, Don, I'm also a college teacher and I can see right through you."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, and your baby blue eyes are telling me you've got a lot more going through your head than what you're letting on."

"Maybe I do."

"Then we'll talk about it and I'll do what I can to help you."

They got lucky; they only had a fifteen minute wait for the next ferry to Liberty Island. Nina bought and paid for their tickets and coffee and they joined the waiting crowd.

"What do you know about me?" Flack asked.

"I know you were a friend of Aiden and I know she thought highly of you."

"Did she tell you about the bomb that damn near killed me?"

"She didn't mention that, no," she admitted.

So he told her the basic details involving the bomb and the ensuing case, facts he knew from having read the case file and being told by his friends.

"Nasty piece of work," she muttered.

Their conversation was temporarily put on hold as they boarded the ferry to Liberty Island. Once they got on the ferry and had moved to a section of the ship that wasn't quite so crowded, Nina spoke.

"What happened to you during the bomb explosion?" she asked. "You said you were injured."

"I don't know," he admitted. "All I remember are bits and pieces, nothing I can really put my finger on." He sighed heavily and leaned against the railing. "I remember a lot of pain, which is understandable given that I'd just had a hole ripped into my gut and stuffed with bomb parts." Nina winced at that and he continued. "I remember floating in darkness, not too sure of anything, but the thing I remember the most is seeing a light." She nodded, encouraging him to continue. "The light felt warm," he said, "warm and peaceful and I was tempted."

"What stopped you?"

He sighed heavily. "A voice. There was a voice whispering to me, telling me it wasn't time for me to go yet."

"and you followed the voice."

"I was curious; wanted to see who it was that was whispering."

"Do you remember anything else after that?"

He chuckled. "A whole lotta pain and general confusion for a few days; I was on some pretty heavy-duty painkillers for a bit," he said. He turned to her, an earnest look on his face. "The thing is, the thing that I don't understand is what happened? What happened to me? Did I die or what? _What happened?_"

Nina realized Flack was searching for answers to his near-death experience and since he knew she dealt with death on a regular basis, he was hoping she might understand what had happened to him. He was looking for answers to something he didn't understand but wanted to understand, which was understandable.

Just like when she'd spoken to Eric, she chose her words carefully.

"You didn't die, Don, but you came close," she said. "From what I understand, there's a place that's in between; it's neither the living nor the dead. You were at a point where you were ready to leave spiritually and you had been given a chance to go into the Light, but your guardian told you that it wasn't your time yet. You came back because you wanted to."

"My guardian?" he asked, puzzled.

"Mm-hm. What, you think all those stories about guardian angels are just that, stories?" she teased. "No, guardians are real and they're always with us."

"Can you see them?" he asked.

"Only when they let me and that's not very often," she said. "I saw one when he took a preemie into the Light once." Flack winced at that. "He told me that toddlers and babies, they need a little help going into the Light, so guardians like him, they help guide the children."

"What about adults?"

Nina shook her head. "I haven't seen them around adults but that doesn't mean they're not there. I see ghosts, Don, not guardians." She thought carefully. "From what you're telling me, you were in the Between; you weren't dead but you weren't alive either. That state, it can last a few minutes or a split second. Some people remember it, others don't."

"Have you been there?"

"No, but I have heard of others who have been." She looked at him and said, "You were at the half-way point, the Between, and you chose to come back. It could have gone either way, because in the Between, all it takes is one choice."

"I heard a voice," he said.

"But you didn't have to listen to that voice," she pointed out. "Instead, your curiosity got the better of you and you wanted to find out who was the owner of that voice, to discover and to learn more. Subconsciously, Don, you chose to live."

"So, I wasn't in Hell and I wasn't in Heaven and I wasn't dead but I wasn't alive, either?" he asked, trying to understand.

"Exactly. It's possible you may have been in that state in the seconds when the bomb exploded and you were hit. You may have also been in that state during your period of unconsciousness when Mac was trying to save you," Nina said. "I don't know." He nodded. She leaned against the railing and looked out at the ocean, watching out of the corner of her eye as the ghosts from the tunnel wandered around the ferry, exclaiming and chattering amongst themselves. "I don't know everything about death, I'm afraid."

"But you know enough," he said. "And for people like me, sometimes that's enough."

She nodded. "Y'know, I'm a college teacher, but I swear, when I'm not teaching, I'm either counseling ghosts and if I'm not doing that, I'm counseling people. Maybe I should just give up teaching and see about earing my certification as a grief counselor," she quipped, grinning.

"Sure, but would you be able to charge the ghosts for the counseling session?" he asked, grinning.

"If only I could," she moaned. "I'd be filthy rich by now."

Flack grinned at her.


	42. Chapter 42

**A/N:** Thanks again for the reviews and your patience as I deal with school and RL. I'm hoping for one more quick chapter and then I need to put Nina aside so I can get started on Haven: Family Values. Don't worry about Nina, though; I won't close the story because I'm sure there's plenty more ghosts for her to deal with and let's not forget about Frank...

**Chapter 42**

As Flack and Nina got off the ferry at Liberty Island, Nina watched her ghostly charges. They seemed to be doing okay, she thought, watching as Joe and Anna played with the other two children in the group.

"So what happens now?" Flack asked, watching Nina watch what he couldn't see.

"Well, at this point I'm hoping to convince them to move on but I don't know how much effort that's going to take," she admitted. "I'm also not sure how to do it without looking like a total idiot to everyone else."

"There's always that."

Then Joe appeared in front of her and she knelt down on the pretense of fixing her shoelaces.

"This is nice, Nina," Joe said, "but I miss my mama and I wish she was here."

"Did you know there's a place beyond here where you can see her again, sweetie?" Nina asked.

"There is?" he asked hopefully.

"There is indeed, and the best part is, it's not hard to get to."

"Really?"

"Mm-hm."

Joe looked excited at the prospect of seeing his mother again but then something stopped him. "What about Papa? Can he come too?"

"Sweetheart, the Light is open to all who want to come."

"Even Anna and Mrs. Cross?"

"Even them."

Joe dashed off to find his father, yelling, "Papa! Papa! Nina says we can see Mama again!"

Andrew scooped his son up, looking at him in disbelief. "Are you sure?" he asked, hope in his voice.

Joe nodded. "and she says anyone who wants to go into the Light can 'cause it's open to everyone!"

Flack and Nina wandered away from the tour group, heading for a quieter part of the island for privacy. The ghosts followed them, whispering amongst themselves.

Finally Nina turned and addressed them.

"Please, listen to me," she began. "There is a place beyond this, a place where you can be with your loved ones, where it's safe and warm and bright. There's nothing for you here but if you go into the Light, you'll find everything you've ever wanted."

"How do we get there?" a teenage girl asked.

"When you're ready to go into the Light, it'll appear," Nina said. "I've been told it's a warm, bright light that feels safe and inviting."

"Have you seen it?" an elderly man asked.

"No, I haven't, and I won't until it's my time or I'm dying, which I sincerely hope won't happen for quite a while," Nina said. "But there have been others who have gone before you and they described to me what they were seeing when they saw the Light. And you know what they felt when they saw the Light?" She looked around at the crowd, who were looking at her expectantly. "They felt joy and happiness. They felt peace."

"What about why we died?" one man yelled angrily. "Doesn't that matter?"

"When did they die?" Nina asked Flack in a low voice.

"The last entry in the log book was Sunday, , 1902, about three weeks after they sealed t entrance," Flack replied just as quietly.

"So 1902 minus 2008," Nina muttered, doing the math in her head. "That's over a hundred years, easily."

"A hundred and six," Flack said, having taken out his cell phone and accessed the calculator part of his cell.

"Long time."

"Very."

Nina took a deep breath and addressed the crowd again, knowing things could get out of hand very fast if she didn't quickly control the situation.

"By our calculations, ladies and gentlemen, you departed the physical plane of existence over a hundred years ago." There were gasps of shock, exclamations, and cries of disbelief. Nina continued. "So, knowing this, does the _why_ really matter anymore?"

"After a hundred years of being dead and not seeing the people I care about, it wouldn't matter a damn to me," Flack said. "Besides that, I would imagine being a ghost gets pretty boring after a while. You can't really touch or feel the living," he pointed out.

Nina smiled at him, grateful for the help. "He has a point there."

The crowd had gone quiet and Nina could tell they were thinking. Then Joe spotted something past the chain fence that surrounded the island.

"Mama!" he shouted happily, his face lighting up. "Look, Papa, it's Mama!"

Andrew's eyes went wide as he saw something Nina couldn't see. "Sarah," he breathed.

"Go," Nina coaxed. "She's waiting for you."

Wiggling down from his father's arms, Joe took off like a shot, his father not far behind. "C'mon, Anna! I want you to meet my mama!"

But Anna had already spotted someone. "Papa!" she yelled excitedly. "Mama, it's Papa! He's come back! Papa's come back!" She grabbed her mother's hand and was tugging at her, trying to pull her along, even as Mrs. Cross raised a shaking hand to her mouth and tears filled her eyes. She looked at Nina in hope and disbelief.

"This can't be real," she got out in a shaky voice.

"It's real and so is he," Nina assured her. "Go with Anna and see for yourself." Mrs. Cross didn't need much more coaxing as she allowed herself to be tugged along by her daughter. Just like Joe and Andrew, who had vanished moments before, so did mother and daughter, the lingering sound of Anna's laugher reaching Nina's ears.

As loved ones began to be seen, the tunnel ghosts left in twos and threes, vanishing past the fence amid shouts of laughter and cries of joy.

"Everything okay?" Flack asked quietly.

"They're all heading into the Light," Nina said just as quietly, smiling as she watched her charges vanish beyond where she could see them. Then she looked at the quiet figure of Reverend Cameron and said, "Well?"

He looked at her sadly and said, "I didn't want to be alone. I was afraid that if they found out the truth, that the world hadn't really ended, that they would leave me and hate me for lying to them."

"So you poisoned them to stop them from leaving," Nina said. "And because they didn't know any different, they stayed for over a hundred years, more dead than alive."

"But at least they stayed," Reverend Cameron said.

"Until I came along and showed them otherwise, right?" Nina asked. Reverend Cameron nodded reluctantly. "You know what you did was the equivalent of a mass murder? They may have been lost and looking for something they couldn't seem to find, but they didn't deserve to die like that."

"I know," the reverend said sadly. "I deserve to go to Hell for what I did. I doubt even God would forgive me."

Nina smiled. "You know, I've been doing this ghost business thing for a lot of years, since I was about eight, actually, and there's one thing I've learned about God."

"What's that?" Reverend Cameron asked curiously, even as Flack said, "I didn't figure you for someone believing in God."

"Oh, I believe there is a God but I'm not inclined to believe he's just a guy; I'm more favorable to the opinion that God is both male and female," Nina said. "I also believe that God is never so far away that He can't forgive. The catch is, you have to genuinely want forgiveness, want it with all your heart and believe completely that what you did was wrong. If you ask Him, I'd say there's a very good chance He'll forgive you." She watched as the reverend dropped to his knees and began to pray in earnest.

"Please, Lord, forgive me, for I know what I did was wrong and I am genuinely, truly sorry for poisoning Your children in the manner that I did," Reverend Cameron said, head bowed and hands clasped in front of him.

"What's up with the reverend?" Flack whispered, curious.

"He's praying for forgiveness," Nina whispered back.

"Think he'll get it?"

"Wouldn't surprise me," Nina whispered. "The Big Guy tends to be pretty forgiving."

"Glad to hear," Flack quipped, still whispering. "I think I'm a couple of commandments behind on penance," he said, grinning.

Nina snickered. "You and me both."

"Oh, Heavenly Father!" Reverend Cameron cried out suddenly, bounding to his feet. "Thank you! Thank you, my Lord!" He looked at Nina and said, "The Lord has forgiven me and forever shall I be humble in His name."

"Then don't just stand there, Rev; go see the wonders of what's in the Light," Nina said.

"Yes, yes, I shall do that. Thank you, thank you so much for helping me find my way again," Reverend Cameron said, just before he began eagerly walking towards the Light. He vanished a moment later.

"That's the last of 'em," Nina said. She looked around and said, "Now that the ghosts are crossed over, I can really play tourist. Bet you have a few interesting stories you could tell."

Flack grinned. "Oh I do, I do." As they began to walk back to the ferry, he asked, "Ever hear about the time we found about a gallon of blood on the torch arm?"

"Are you serious?" Nina yelped.

"Perfectly serious. Even Mac can tell you about that..."


	43. Chapter 43

**A/N:** once again thank you for the kind reviews and your patience as always. This one is pretty long, longer than my usual chapters, but I don't think anyone is going to complain.

**Chapter 43**

Nina was screaming. Begging. Pleading. And it wasn't doing a damn bit of good. All around her hundreds of ghosts were talking to her at once. Some were shouting, others were demanding, and still others were pleading.

She was at Ground Zero, that much she was sure of. Someone at the hotel, a man who called himself Gus Chandler, believed her to be psychic, which was technically not true. However, being called psychic was the lesser of the two evils.

He had asked for her help in dealing with his deceased wife and she, feeling bad for him, had agreed.

She didn't know about Ground Zero, only had a rough idea where the haunted grounds were. She recognized it immediately when they got there, though, and when she balked at entering the site or even going near it, Gus had pulled a gun on her.

She had to talk to his wife, he said. She had to help him; no one else would. He was desperate, he said. His wife was haunting him, had been haunting him since 9-11 and he was going out of his mind. She would help him or she would join the other ghosts at Ground Zero.

"Stop it!" she begged, tears rolling down her face. "I can't hear you! There's too many of you! Stop it!" She slapped her hands over her ears and screwed her eyes shut in a desperate attempt to block out the ghosts but it didn't do any good. Feeling as if her head were about to explode from the sensory over-load, Nina begged one more time. "Stop it!"

And then the peaceful darkness came and she gave in to it, never feeling the cold ground as she collapsed or seeing Gus run off in fear, leaving his gun and her behind.

Mac was in his office, plowing through paperwork, when he felt something brush the back of his neck. Thinking it was just a fly, he absently brushed it away. Then it happened again.

And again.

The fourth time it happened, Mac looked up in annoyance. There was no one in the office, save him.

Then his computer monitor started flashing and acting weird. As he stared, not sure what was going on, the words _GROUND 0_ appeared, flashing repeatedly.

"Ground Zero," he whispered in recognition. "Claire? Claire, is that you?" There was only silence and the monitor continued to flash. Then the words changed. _NINA IN TROUBLE._ "Nina's in trouble?" he repeated, confused by the message. "Nina's at Ground Zero? What the hell is she doing there?" There was no answer and Mac began to get a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Before they had parted ways at the Brooklyn-City Hall Station, Nina had given him her cell number in the event of trouble. He had recognized the model as being GPS-capable, like most cell phones these days. Mac now dialed Nina's cell.

There was no answer.

"Claire, if it's you that's here, I need my computer back so I can locate Nina's cell," Mac said to the empty room.

As if in answer, the monitor returned to normal, allowing Mac to get to work.

"Damn it!" he muttered a few minutes later; Nina's cell was on and it was smack-dab in the middle of Ground Zero. He tried calling her again and again she didn't answer. Mac's bad feeling grew. Before he had even completely consciously decided to do so, he was grabbing his coat and calling Danny and Flack, telling them they needed to head to the former site of the World Trade Center Towers and that there was a strong possibility that a mutual acquaintance of theirs was in trouble.

Danny hitched a ride with Mac and Flack joined them at an agreed-upon parking area at Ground Zero.

"What the hell is Nina doing here?" Flack demanded.

"Busy lying on the ground," Danny replied, having spotted something in the fading light.

Partially hidden by the fences, Nina lay on her back, on the ground, in a crumpled heap, arms spread slightly and face towards the sky, eyes closed. All three men dashed towards her. Flack spotted the discarded gun and stopped to inspect it. Mac and Danny continued to check on Nina.

"She's still alive," Danny reported, checking for a pulse. "Doesn't look like she's been attacked."

"What I want to know is how she wound up here," Mac said.

"She may not have had much of a choice," Flack said, coming over to them and holding a gun by its trigger guard. "It looks real but it's as fake as hell and someone like Nina would not have known the difference."

"All she would have seen was the gun and assumed it was a real gun," Danny said, a scowl crossing his face.

"We may need to call an ambulance," Mac said.

"_No, no ambulance_," came Nina's faint voice as she stirred. "_Just get me the hell out of here._"

"Sounds good to me," Danny said. "We should take you to the hospital though."

"Don't need a hospital, need sleep and out of here," Nina said, not opening her eyes but rolling on her side and holding her head as if it hurt. "What I would give for a double shot of Aspirin right now," she muttered.

"I think I have some in the car," Mac said. "We'll take you back to the lab and you can sleep on my couch if you'd like. Then you can explain what the hell you were doing here."

As Danny carefully scooped Nina up, managing to get his arm under her ankle-length A-line denim skirt, she mumbled, "Talk to some jackass by the name of Gus Chandler. Wanted me to talk to his dead wife, said she died on 9-11 and I was going to help him or join the ghosts here."

"So he kidnapped you," Flack said, scowling. "Charming fellow." Nina just grunted and buried her face in Danny's neck and shoulder.

Mac's office proved to be a welcome reprieve from all the ghostly activity and Nina quickly went to sleep, not feeling Mac place a blanket over her. Danny dusted the toy gun and came up with a set of prints belonging to one Augustus "Gus" David Chandler, accused of stalking his former wife. She had been killed during 9-11 by falling debris from when one of the towers collapsed but before she'd died, she had placed a TRO, or temporary restraining order, against Gus. Her statement said she didn't see Gus as dangerous, just a pain in the backside who didn't seem to understand the phrase "_It's over_" too well. Now they were going to add kidnapping and weapon charges to his file. While Flack and Danny were doing that, Frank Tripp arrived from Miami.

He had gone to Nina's hotel to surprise her, only to find she wasn't there. He had also tried calling her cell but she hadn't answered. So, rather than wandering around a city he wasn't familiar with, Frank had gone to the only other person he knew in New York; Mac Taylor. When Mac had updated him on what they knew about what had happened to Nina, including the fact that he knew about Nina's talent for dealing with the dead, Frank had nearly gone ballistic.

"I sincerely hope you're planning on busting the jackass who did this to her!" Frank snapped.

"Already on it," Mac soothed, sensing the big Texan was ready to haul off and hit somebody. "Detective Don Flack and CSI Danny Messer are dealing with him. They found his prints on the toy gun and he's being arrested as we speak."

"Good." Frank made a vain effort to calm down, realizing being angry wouldn't help Nina. "Is she okay?"

"She seems to be. We found her unconscious at Ground Zero, but she came to and didn't want to see a doctor or go to a hospital, so we took her back here and last time I checked on her, she was sound asleep on my office couch."

"She once told me she couldn't handle too many ghosts at once, twenty at once at the most. Something about too much sensory input." Frank said. "You know about the tunnel ghosts she found under City Hall Station?"

Mac nodded. "I was with her when she found their remains. Other than getting tossed around by Reverend Cameron, she seemed to handle things okay."

Frank grunted. "Wish they'd quit doing that to her; she's gonna get seriously hurt one day because of them."

Deciding to take Frank up to his office to see Nina, they were almost there when the woman they were looking for suddenly charged out of Mac's office, looking ready to kill.

"Hi Frank, hi Mac, talk to you guys in a bit but right now I need to find a certain little worm and teach him the consequences of messing with a woman like me!" she said as she breezed by, her skirt flowing with her movements.

"You look nice," Frank said as he moved to catch up to his girlfriend. And she did; on top of her denim skirt she wore a tailored three-quarter sleeve blouse in a soft lilac print and knee-high dress boots. With it she wore sterling silver blue topaz and amethyst jewelry. Her coat, a comfortable soft leather one, was back in Mac's office, along with her purse, where she'd decided it was safest, especially with what she had in mind.

"Thank you," she said as they entered the elevator going down.

"Where are we going?" Frank asked.

"To booking where I know for a fact Mr. Chandler is currently being booked for kidnapping and a few weapon charges," Nina replied.

"That's not a good idea," Mac cautioned, having followed them.

She looked at him and said, "And you're going to stop me how?" She smiled sweetly and continued. "I may be just a college teacher, Mac, but I make friends in all kinds of places, friends you can't see or hear and who know all kinds of nifty things. Think about that."

Mac looked at Frank who nodded sheepishly. Nina's informants were the kind that made him envious as a cop.

"If I had the kind of sources she did, I would be able to solve my cases twice as fast," he admitted. "As it is, there's a little thing called evidence."

"Look, Nina, I understand you're mad about Gus Chandler..." Mac began, but Nina cut him off.

"No, I'm not mad. You haven't seen me mad. I'm pissed off to high hell but I'm not mad," she corrected, waving a finger in emphasis.

"What do you call that business with Reverend Cameron, where you were taunting him?" Mac shot back.

"I was deliberately provoking him to get him to use more of his energy, which means the more he used the less of a danger he was," Nina pointed out.

"You deliberately provoked a ghost?" Frank yelped.

"And got thrown around as a result," Mac said.

"Nina! You promised me that wouldn't happen again!" Frank yelped again.

Nina just looked at him and said, "I promised you I would do my best to stay out of trouble, I did not make any guarantees that there wouldn't _be_ trouble." Frank glared at her but she didn't back down. "Try that glare on someone else; it doesn't cut any ice with me." Before Frank could say or do anything else, the elevator opened and Nina strode out. The only thing Frank could do was do his best to keep up.

Nina was tempted, very tempted, to plant her fist in Gus Chandler's face but before she could get there, her way was blocked by an officer who apparently understood the look on her face.

"Ma'am, I'm afraid you can't come in this area," the officer whose name tag read O'Neil, said. He was a tall, well-built white man with sandy blond close-cropped hair.

Nina listened to something Aiden said and then said, "To quote a certain security chief from _Babylon 5_, you're going to find my foot sixteen inches up your butt if you don't get the hell out of my way! I'm not going to hurt Gus Chandler, much, but there's a few things that moron needs to hear."

O'Neil looked at Mac and raised an inquiring eyebrow. Mac sighed heavily. "Let her see him but keep an eye on her. Mind you, I think by the time she finishes with him he won't ever be pulling the kind of stunt that he did again."

O'Neil looked at Nina, who stood in front of him, hands on her hips, foot tapping impatiently, and back at Mac, before shrugging. "Fine, but if anything happens to Mr. Chandler, it won't be on my head."

"If anything happens to Mr. Chandler, it'll be because the prick had it coming," Nina muttered as she brushed by.

Gus Chandler was in the interrogation room, being grilled by Flack, when Nina burst in and slammed the door behind her. Before anyone could say anything, Nina started.

"Hello, _Mr. Chandler_, we meet again."

Behind the glass portion of the interrogation room, Frank muttered, "Said the spider to the fly."

Nina continued even as Gus stared at her in terror. "I spoke to your wife, Elizabeth. Lovely lady, by the way, quite charming."

"You spoke to Elizabeth?" Gus asked eagerly.

"Oh yes, I spoke to Elizabeth," she said sweetly. "She and I had _quite_ the interesting conversation. She even told me the reason why she divorced you. Tsk, tsk, tsk, Gussie, tsk, tsk, tsk." She shook her head sadly. "She divorced you because you are as gay as sin, but that's not what the problem was. Flack, would you like to know what the problem is with Gussie, here?"

Flack grinned, enjoying the show. "Certainly. What is Gussie's problem?"

"The problem with Gussie dear is not that he's gay, which Elizabeth could have lived with. No, the problem is that Gussie doesn't like men; he likes _little boys_."

"He's a pedophile," Mac stated, scowling.

"That's not true!" Gus yelped frantically. "I'm not gay and I don't like boys!"

"Oh really? Betcha the cops will _love_ the box of pictures under your bed," Nina said sweetly. "Oh, and let's not forget about the laptop hidden between your mattress and box spring."

"How do you know about that?" Gus asked before he stopped himself.

Nina shot him a derisive look and said, "How do you think I know, you moron?" Gus shrank in his seat, looking miserable. She continued. "Elizabeth started having affairs with other guys, _better_ guys, because she couldn't stand the thought of you touching her. You made her want to vomit every time you came near her. Finally, when she'd decided she'd had enough of you, enough of your lying, and the time was right, she divorced you and as you may have noticed, although I doubt it, she took you for every penny you had." Nina leaned forward and planted her hands on the table, getting right into Gus's face. "You were right; she is haunting you. And you want to know why?"

"I'd venture a guess that it has something to do with him and his little problem," Flack said easily.

"Right on the nose; Elizabeth is haunting this sorry sack of flesh to prevent him from going anywhere _near_ another little boy, _like the way you went after her nephew_!" Nina finished off yelling.

"I... he..." Gus started stammering, even as a guilty flush crept through his face.

"What, you didn't think she knew about it? Oh, she knew alright, she knew, but the boy was too terrified to go to the cops. After all, uncles weren't supposed to do that kind of stuff. And since he wouldn't go to the cops, well, she'd make you pay one way or another," Nina hissed. "Well, guess what, sugar; you're paying and by the time we're done here, you're gonna be paying some more." She smiled evilly and said, "And as for Elizabeth, she's going to be hanging around you for quite some time. She's going to make sure you _never_ hurt another boy again. I'd get used to her being around if I were you." And with that, she turned and flounced out of the room, leaving Gus whimpering and cowering in his chair. Before she left the room completely, she shot over her shoulder, "I'll have that victim statement for you in about half an hour, detective."

"Thank you kindly, ma'am," Flack said easily as he turned back to Gus. "Now, where were we?"

Joining Mac and Frank behind the interrogation room, Nina went to Frank and snuggled against him tiredly. "Can we go home now?" she asked.

"Can you behave for two days?" Frank asked.

"Depends. Why?" she asked.

"Managed to book myself into a hotel for two days with the intent of surprising you and snagging a quick holiday before school starts again for you and I have to return to work," Frank said.

Nina smiled. "For that, I will do my uttermost best to behave; promise."

"About as much as you can, anyway, with your friends around," Frank quipped.

Her response to that was to blow a raspberry at him.


	44. Chapter 44

**A/N:** sorry this chapter is so short but I pretty much covered most of things in the last chapter and just wanted to get a few things out of the way with this one before I temporarily closed it for now. Don't worry; Nina will pop up again in other _Empty Garden_ titles so be sure to be on the look-out for them. As soon as I catch the season opener for_ CSI: Miami_, which is tomorrow night, I will be starting on _Family Values_.

**Chapter 44**

The next two days were a welcome reprieve for Nina and Frank. With the exception of one night-time visitor that Nina dealt with, the ghosts left her alone for the most part.

Because they were finally alone and without any pressing problems or concerns, the couple gave in to their desires and, once the initial awkwardness had passed, made love repeatedly, taking advantage of the hotel room's privacy and rather large bed.

During the time apart, Frank had done some thinking. He had come to the conclusion that his job and Nina's talent had something in common; they both started when someone died and they both had to deal with the people left behind. His job, however, was to catch the bad guy. Nina's job was to help the spirit find peace and cross over. He didn't know which of the two jobs was toughest but he figured Nina had the tougher one because she couldn't leave her work at work and sometimes the ghosts didn't want to cross over. You couldn't arrest a ghost for taking a punch at you or sue them for damages. Sometimes you couldn't even stop them from doing what they did except through cold, hard logic and a lot of faith and hope.

She had once told him a story about trying to cross over a father who had been an abusive bully and who was still terrorizing his family. It had taken a lot of work and effort on both the part of the family and her to convince the father to see the error of his way and leave the family alone. Before they had managed to succeed, however, Nina had been subjected to physical abuse that had left her aching and limping. She admitted that it was her anger towards the father of his abuse towards the family that had helped her carry on and not give into the verbal abuse the father had tried on her.

When Frank had asked why she bothered when she dealt with ghosts like the abusive father, she pointed out that not all ghosts were bad. Some were just lost and confused, such as the little girl who had once roamed the hallways of Riverside Elementary School. She had been there because she had seen the other children at the school and had wanted nothing more than to play with them; she had never gotten a chance to attend school and had always wanted to. The little girl had simply been lonely. It hadn't taken much effort on Nina's part and the part of the kindergarten teacher, a friend of Nina's, to convince the lonely little girl to cross over into the Light, where there were other kids she could play with and who would show her all kinds of wonderful things.

Before they left New York, Nina sent Flack a message that the late-nigh ghost had given her. It was a cryptic message but she was sure it would help the detective.

_Detective Flack:_

_I understand you are currently investigating a case involving the murder of a young teenage girl found in an alleyway, who was beaten to death. Her name is Sonja Bolan and she was 17 years of age. She had a boyfriend named Nat Paterson, age 18. You initially considered him a suspect as he was one of the last people to see him alive but dismissed him when he proved to have a solid alibi. I also understand your case has started to grow cold. As it is, I offer a few leads for you on the condition that you destroy this letter upon reading it._

_Look to the father, for he rules the family with more than just an iron hand._

_Look to the youngest son, Adam, for he is not all he appears to be, especially genetically._

_Look to Sonja's locker neighbor, a girl named Amy Hamilton. If you put on a bit of the charm (she's a bit guy-shy) and the sympathy act, explaining that you've been having almost no luck solving Sonja's murder and you feel bad that you can't seem to solve the murder because no one will talk to you about the things that need talking about, she will help you. Give her your card and wait a day or two and she will come to you. Be warned, though, what she has to share will make you sick to your stomach. If you look to Amy, you will find the answers that will lead you to the son and the father._

Five days after Nina returned to Miami, she paid a visit to the graveyard where Horatio Caine was buried. For this particular visit she had elected to go for a bit of a whimsical look, with a rich red blouse with a lace neckline, large handkerchief sleeves, gathered bust and waist, and a black Briar Rose bustier. She was also wearing black knee-high boots and snug light blue jeans.

She had received an e-mail from Flack who let her know that Sonja Bolan's murder had been solved with her help and she had been right; Amy Hamilton's information had been a box full of Sonja's journals and the contents had indeed made him sick to his stomach. Three year-old Adam had not just been Sonja's son; he had also been the son of Sonja's father. She had been murdered because she was planning to leave the family with Nat and take Adam with her and her father, being the controlling SOB that he was, had beaten Sonja to death to prevent that. The father had been arrested and Adam had been taken into protective custody until Sonja's older brother, a twenty-five year-old member of the Marines, could come back from serving over-seas and handed over to him. Sonja's mother had committed suicide less than a day after the father's arrest. The note she had left behind had said that she had been unable to bear the shame and humiliation of what her husband had done to their daughter and who Adam really was. Apparently she had been lead to believe, by her husband, that Adam was the result of a teenage pregnancy and not the result of him raping their daughter. Flack had sincerely hoped Sonja was at peace now and Nina had sent him a confirmation e-mail.

Horatio had been buried beside Marisol and, just like Marisol, he had a decent headstone. His friends and family had rightly figured that beside Marisol is where Horatio would want to be.

Nina crouched down and removed some of the weeds that were growing around the headstone. As she did, she talked.

"I don't know where you are, Horatio, but something tells me there's a lot more going on than there initially appears to be."

She stood up, looking around, and spotted a thick grove of bushes surrounding a bench. She went over there and sat down. She continued talking. "I've spoken with Marisol and she tells me you haven't joined her; that not everything is as it appears. Because it's Marisol and your mother and your brother who've spoken with me and who've all said the same thing, I'm inclined to believe them. However, it's been three months and people are starting to get suspicious. I don't know what you're doing but I trust you to know what you're doing. I'll keep your secret for now, just finish it, fast, and please be careful."

She sat there for a few more minutes, enjoying the peace and quiet of the cemetery, before heading back to her car. When she got there, she spotted something tucked under her wiper blades. It was a note with the single word _Thanks_ written on it. There was no one else in sight but there didn't have to be; she had a pretty good idea who the note was from.

She smiled. "Your welcome," she said. "You're very welcome."


End file.
